The Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Tibet Tourism:
Travelers’ Perspectives
by
Ming Ming Su
A thesis
presented to the University of Waterloo
in fulfillment of the
thesis requirement for the degree of
Master of Applied Environmental Studies
in
Local Economic Development – Tourism Policy and Planning
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2007
© Ming Ming Su 2007
Author’s Declaration
I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis,
including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners.
I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public.
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Acknowledgements
Here I would like to express my sincere thanks to many people who have offered their
support, encouragement and assistance throughout the whole process of my field research
and my thesis writing. Without their contributions, the thesis would not be possible.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Geoffrey Wall.
Starting from the very beginning of my thesis topic selection, throughout the research
methodology design and the final writing up of the thesis, Geoff generously offered me
his insightful advice and suggestions from his rich experience and knowledge, which
guided me through the whole process. His passion to his career and his quick response
anytime I am seeking help also encouraged me to move forward.
Special thanks go to my committee member, Dr. Jean Audrey. She provided so many
valuable inputs in terms of topics on transportation, research method design and
statistical data analysis and interpretation, which are of great help to my thesis.
Thank you for all passengers who participated in the questionnaire survey on the train to
and from Tibet. Without your consideration and patience in taking time to fill the
questionnaire, my field research could not be successful. Also I would like to express my
special thanks to the train attendant Mr. Xu Zhansong for his help in distributing the
questionnaires on the train back from Lhasa.
Finally, my deep gratitude goes to my parents for their love, understanding, support and
encouragement throughout the field research and the thesis writing process. In addition, I
would like to thank all my friends in Waterloo, your company and encouragements also
give me strength to work ahead.
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Abstract
With the distinguished natural and cultural tourism resources, Tibet is undoubtedly a
desirable travel destination both domestically and internationally. With the newly opened
Qinghai-Tibet railway to Lhasa in July 2006, Tibet tourism development was boosted
markedly due to the increased accessibility and affordability.
This study evaluates the impacts of the increased accessibility achieved through the
Qinghai-Tibet railway on tourist travel decisions for, and experiences in, Tibet from
travelers’ perspectives. The relative importance of the train journey in comparison with
the destination experience at Tibet is also examined. A destination choice framework is
proposed based on a review of previous literature. It is applied in this study to understand
tourists’ travel destination choice of Tibet. A questionnaire survey was designed as the
major primary data collection method to collect travelers’ perceptions on the train
journey and Tibet tourism. Conducted on the train to and from Lhasa of Tibet, a total of
187 questionnaires were collected, including 82 for the pre-visit sample and 105 for the
post-visit sample.
Important destination choice factors for Tibet are identified in this study. The findings
also support the importance of the railway on tourists’ destination choice of Tibet and in
the overall travel experience of Tibet. Expectations and satisfactions with the destination
are also compared to indicate possibilities for further destination development in Tibet.
This study improves the understanding of both the supply and demand sides of the
tourism industry in Tibet. Both practical implications and academic implications are
presented based on the major findings of this study. Contributions of this study and future
research opportunities are discussed.
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Table of Content
Author’s Declaration ....................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ ivii
Abstract............................................................................................................................. iv
Table of Content................................................................................................................ v
List of Figures................................................................................................................. viii
List of Tables .................................................................................................................viiii
1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 1
1.1
Problem Statement .............................................................................................. 1
1.1
Purpose of Research............................................................................................ 1
1.2
Research Questions............................................................................................. 2
1.3
Thesis Structure .................................................................................................. 2
2. Literature Review ......................................................................................................... 4
2.1
Tourism in China and Tibet ................................................................................ 4
2.1.1
China’s Domestic Tourism ......................................................................... 4
2.1.2
Tourism in Tibet ......................................................................................... 6
2.2
Tourism and Transport........................................................................................ 9
2.2.1
Scenic Train Travel................................................................................... 12
2.3
Tourist Destination Choice Study..................................................................... 13
2.3.1
Implications for Destination Planning, Development and Promotion ...... 16
2.3.2
Factors Influencing Tourist Destination Choice ....................................... 18
2.4
Destination Choice Framework ........................................................................ 25
2.5
Gaps Identified in Literature............................................................................. 26
2.6
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 27
3. Methodology ................................................................................................................ 29
3.1
Introduction to the Study Area.......................................................................... 29
3.1.1
Tibet Autonomous Region........................................................................ 29
3.1.2
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway ...................................................................... 32
3.2
Research Methods............................................................................................. 38
3.2.1
Questionnaire Survey................................................................................ 38
3.2.2
Researcher’s Observations........................................................................ 41
3.2.3
Secondary data collection ......................................................................... 42
3.3
Research Procedures ......................................................................................... 42
3.3.1
Pilot Test ................................................................................................... 42
3.3.2
Timing of the Research............................................................................. 43
3.3.3
Questionnaire Survey Operation............................................................... 43
3.4
Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 46
3.5
Limitations of Research Methods ..................................................................... 46
3.5.1
Timing of the Research............................................................................. 46
3.5.2
Sample Selection....................................................................................... 47
3.6
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 48
4. Findings........................................................................................................................ 49
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4.1
Method of Analysis........................................................................................... 49
4.2
Characteristics of Respondents ......................................................................... 50
4.2.1
Demographic Characteristics ................................................................... 50
4.2.2
Socio-economic Characteristics............................................................... 51
4.2.3
Summary of Travelers’ Characteristics ................................................... 53
4.3
Travel Behavior Pattern .................................................................................... 54
4.4
Motivations for Traveling to Tibet ................................................................... 57
4.5
Expectation and Satisfaction............................................................................. 61
4.6
Respondents’ Perceptions of the Train Journey................................................ 63
4.6.1
Reasons for Choosing the Train............................................................... 63
4.6.2
Satisfaction with the Train Journey ......................................................... 63
4.6.3
Importance of the Train Journey.............................................................. 65
4.7
Suggestions for Enhancing Tibet Tourism and the Train Journey ................... 67
4.7.1
Suggestions Concerning the Train Journey ............................................. 67
4.7.2
Suggestions for Tourism Development in Tibet...................................... 68
4.7.3
Suggestions Concerning Tourism Products in Tibet ............................... 69
4.7.4
Suggestions Specifically from International Travelers............................ 69
4.8
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 69
5. Discussion: ................................................................................................................... 72
5.1
Practical Implications........................................................................................ 72
5.1.1
The Train Journey .................................................................................... 72
5.1.2
Destination Development of Tibet........................................................... 73
5.1.3
Tourism Marketing of Tibet..................................................................... 78
5.2
Academic Implications ..................................................................................... 80
5.2.1
Comparison with the Literature ............................................................... 80
5.2.2
Application of the Destination Choice Framework ................................. 82
5.2.3
Relative Importance of the Train Journey to the Destination .................. 83
6. Conclusion: .................................................................................................................. 85
6.1
Purpose of the Research.................................................................................... 85
6.2
Major Findings.................................................................................................. 85
6.2
Contribution of the study .................................................................................. 87
6.3
Future research opportunities............................................................................ 88
Appendix I:
Appendix II:
Appendix III:
Appendix IV:
Cover letter ........................................................................................... 96
Feedback Letter ................................................................................... 97
Questionnaire Survey (to Tibet).......................................................... 98
Questionnaire Survey (back from Tibet) ......................................... 100
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List of Figures
Figure 2.1.2:
The Potala Place in Lhasa ......................................................................... 8
Figure 2.2:
A Tourism System................................................................................... 10
Figure 2.4:
Destination Choice Framework............................................................... 25
Figure 3.1.1:
The location of Tibet in China ................................................................ 31
Figure 3.1.2:
Administrative Map of Tibet ................................................................ 32
Figure 3.1.2.1: Location Map of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway .......................................... 34
Figure 3.1.2.2: The Route of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway from Golmud to Lhasa .......... 35
Figure 3.1.2.3: The Train Running Through Tibet Plateau ............................................. 36
Figure 3.1.2.4: Train Ticket ............................................................................................. 36
Figure 3.1.2.5 View Along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway-River ....................................... 37
Figure 3.1.2.6 View Along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway-snow-covered Mountain ......... 37
Figure 4.7.2
Tourism Spots Map of Tibet.................................................................... 71
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List of Tables
Table 3.1.2:
Direct Train Service from Major Cities in China to Lhasa, Tibet ………33
Table 3.2.3:
Train Schedule between Beijing and Lhasa.............................................. 45
Table 4.2.1:
Demographic Characteristics of Pre- and Post-visit Samples .................. 51
Table 4.2.2:
Socio-economic Characteristics of Pre- and Post-visit Samples .............. 52
Table 4.2.3:
Comparison of Demographic and Social-economic Characteristics ........ 53
Table 4.3.1:
Comparison of the Basic Trip Information between Pre and Post-visit
samples...................................................................................................................... 55
Table 4.3.2:
Comparison of Expected and Actual Expenses ........................................ 56
Table 4.3.3:
Information Sources for Tibet Tourism.................................................... 57
Table 4.4.1:
Comparisons of the Motivations of Pre- and Post-visit Respondents ...... 58
Table 4.4.2:
Analysis of Motivation of Traveling to Tibet......................................... 589
Table 4.4.3.1: Motivation of Traveling to Tibet among Travelers with Different
Demographic and Socio-economic Backgrounds..................................................... 60
Table 4.4.3.2: Comparison of Pre- and Post-visit Groups’ Assessments of Barriers ..... 61
Table 4.4.3.3: Analysis of the Importance of Barriers of Traveling to Tibet ................. 61
Table 4.5.1:
Mean Differences between Pre-visit Expectation and Post-visit
Satisfaction of Destination Experience in Tibet ....................................................... 62
Table 4.6.1:
Reason for Choosing the Train Journey to Tibet..................................... 63
Table 4.6.2.1: Satisfaction with the Train Journey of the Overall Sample..................... 64
Table 4.6.2.2: Comparison of Pre- and Post-visit Satisfactions with the Train Journey 64
Table 4.6.3:
Importance of the Train Journey.............................................................. 66
Table 4.7.1
Number of Suggestions Collected in the Post-visit Questionnaire.......... 67
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1. Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement
Famous for its unique natural environment and cultural characteristics, Tibet has always
been a desirable travel destination for people in China and all over the world. However,
tourism development in Tibet was hindered by its inaccessibility due to the remote
geographical location and limited transportation means available.
In July 2006 in China, a new railway line to Lhasa of Tibet opened, which has boosted
Tibet tourism development markedly. A significant increase in tourism demand for Tibet
has occurred with a large number of tourists coming to the region since the opening of the
railway line. This has resulted in many issues concerning tourism development,
environmental protection, regional economic development and the preservation of culture
in Tibet. Tourism development in Tibet has been a widely discussed topic, as there is a
huge gap between tourism demand and the supply-side capabilities in terms of facilities,
service quality, tourism planning, and management experience and capability.
My research investigates the Qinghai-Tibet railway and Tibet tourism from the travelers’
perspectives by identifying important motivation factors influencing the choice of Tibet
as a travel destination, evaluating how the increase in accessibility by the opening of the
railway line has influenced tourists’ travel decisions and experiences, and the relative
importance of the train journey itself in comparison with the destination experience in
Tibet. The findings could help to improve the understanding of both the supply and
demand sides of the tourism industry in Tibet, which could provide practical implications
for future tourism planning, marketing and management. Moreover, a destination choice
framework is proposed and applied in this study, which helps to understand tourists’
travel destination selection process.
1.1 Purpose of Research
This study intends to identify and evaluate the impacts of the increased accessibility
achieved through the Qinghai-Tibet railway on tourist travel decisions for and
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experiences in Tibet, and the relative importance of the train journey in comparison with
the destination experience at Tibet. This will help us gain an understanding of the
position of transport in tourism in the case of Tibet and the relationship between transport
and tourism in general.
1.2 Research Questions
The research questions I intend to explore in my research are:
1. What are the major factors influencing tourists’ destination choice of Tibet? How and
to what extent do those factors influence tourists’ destination choice of Tibet?
2. How and to what extent has the opening of the railway line to Lhasa influenced
tourists’ destination choice of Tibet?
3. What is the relative importance of the train journey in comparison with the
destination experience in Tibet?
4. What are the expectations and satisfactions of train travelers to Tibet?
5. What are the practical implications of this study for improving the train journey and
the destination experience, as well as the marketing of Tibet as a tourism destination?
1.3 Thesis Structure
Chapter one briefly states the problems to be addressed in the study, the research purpose
and the specific research questions to be answered in the study. Chapter two reviews
previous studies on China’s domestic tourism development, tourism in Tibet, tourism and
transport, scenic train travel, destination choice, factors influencing destination choice
and the gaps in the literature to be addressed in this study. Chapter three provides an
outline of the research methodology used in the study and explains the rationale for
selecting self-administered questionnaire surveys delivered by the researcher, the
researcher’s observations and the use of secondary data in the study. In addition, the
reason for selecting passengers on the train between Beijing and Lhasa of Tibet as the
sample group and the sample selection method and sample size are also explained in
detail. Chapter four presents the findings based on the analysis of both quantitative and
qualitative data collected during the field research. Major findings are presented in the
following sections: respondents’ profile, travel behaviour pattern, motivations for travel
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to Tibet, expectations and satisfactions with the destination, perceptions of the train
journey and their suggestions for enhancing the train journey and the destination
experience in Tibet. Chapter five discusses both the practical implications for Tibet
tourism development and the academic implications of this study. In Chapter six, the
purpose of the study is reiterated, contributions of this study are discussed and future
research opportunities are proposed.
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2. Literature Review
In this section, the background to, and current situation of, China’s domestic tourism and
tourism in Tibet are summarized based on previous studies. Previous literature on
transport and tourism, and the scenic train travel are reviewed. Then the theories and
findings of previous studies related to tourist destination choice are reviewed. Major
factors influencing tourist destination choice are identified and their influences are
discussed based on the literature. Furthermore, a destination choice framework is
generalized. Finally, gaps in the previous literature are identified.
2.1 Tourism in China and Tibet
2.1.1 China’s Domestic Tourism
With the rapid economic development, China has become one of the top tourist
destinations in the world. Unlike international tourism that has been emphasized and
promoted since 1978 in association with the “Open Door” policy, domestic tourism in
China experienced restriction and hesitation in development from the central government
because of the concern that it would establish competition in tourism resources between
domestic and international tourism. Only since 1992, has an active attitude toward
domestic tourism development been adopted by the central government (Wen, 1998;
Zhang, 1997).
Rapidly developed since late 1990s, domestic tourism in China has outpaced international
tourism and become the major source of income in the tourism sector in China.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2005 the annual domestic
tourist number was 12 billion, with a 10 percent increase over 2004; RMB 5,286 billion
revenue was generated from domestic tourism with a 12.2 percent increase over 2004,
which is 68.8 percent of the total revenue from both domestic and international tourism
(NBS, www.stats.gov.cn). Growth of income per capita, increase of leisure time and the
structural adjustment of China’s national economy are the major reasons for the rapid
increase in domestic travel in China (Wang & Qu, 2004).
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Another stimulus of China’s domestic tourism was the introduction of Golden Week
holidays in 1999. By providing more free time for Chinese people, the Golden Week
holiday system not only increases individual spending but also boosts domestic travel
demand in China. With the intensity of tourism activities, Golden Week has stimulated
the national economy in various aspects, including boosting the development of tourism
industry; dramatically increasing tourist expenditure; and generating income for both
tourism and non-tourism sectors. The past 17 Golden Week (till May 2006) achieved a
total tourist number of 10.7 billion and total revenue of RMB 4,292 billion. For example,
during the National Day Holiday in October 2005, the domestic tourist number reached
1.1 billion and the revenue generated was 463 billion, which contributes 9 percent of the
annual domestic tourist number and the annual revenue for domestic tourism of 2005
(CNTA, www.cnta.gov.cn).
When looking at the characteristics of domestic travel in China, Zhang generalized that
China’s domestic tourism has a low starting point; a great market potential and a strong
state macro control with central government policies have strong influences on the
direction and strength of tourism development, at both local and national scale (Zhang,
1997). China’s tourism authorities are involved in policy making, destination planning,
construction and promotion, management of travel services and many other aspects of
tourism development (Wang & Qu, 2004). With just about 20 years’ contemporary
history, domestic tourism in China has developed from virtually zero to become an
important element in the national economy. Moreover the rapid national economic
growth and the huge population base promise its further expansion.
Indeed, domestic tourism should not be viewed separately from China’s macro economy.
Due to the disparity of economic development in China, domestic tourism experiences
the same disparity between coastal and inland regions, rural and urban areas. Economic
wealth is highly concentrated in the coastal region and urban areas, where most domestic
tourists are coming from and destinations are better developed and promoted (Wen,
1998); thus coastal regions benefit much more from domestic tourism, which increases
regional economic disparity.
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Zhang (1997) argued that besides economic growth enabling tourism development,
cultural tradition is also an important influencing factor. As indicated in an old Chinese
saying, “He who travels far knows much”, “enlarging one’s knowledge, raising one’s
understanding of the world and society, enhancing self-cultivation, making friends and
conducing cultural exchanges” are emphasized by the Chinese tourism tradition (Zhang,
1997). This traditional concept forms the “psychological basis for the strong desire of the
Chinese people to travel (Zhang, 1997). However, constrained by their financial
limitations, Chinese tourists maintain an economical and practical tourism consumption
level without sacrificing the rich experiences and psychological rewards gained from
travel (Zhang, 1997).
2.1.2 Tourism in Tibet
Located in the world’s highest plateau, the Tibet Plateau, Tibet has rich natural and
cultural resources. The diversified geographical features unique to high altitude regions,
and the Tibetan Buddhism and ethnic culture are all considered strong tourism attractions
to people in China and all over the World (Xiao, Hou & Li, 2003). However, in the
context of the rapid development of domestic tourism in China, Tibet tourism was
experiencing slow development for the past two decades with total tourism revenue from
1980 to 1998 of only 15.8 billion RMB (Zhang, 2002).
It is widely accepted that the major barrier for tourism development in Tibet is
accessibility. Before the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, passenger transportation
to Tibet relied mainly on air transportation, which has very limited capacity and high cost,
restricting market demand for Tibet tourism. Therefore, transportation restriction is the
bottleneck preventing economic development in Tibet, including tourism (Xiao, Hou &
Li, 2003; Zhang, 2002). By providing effective alternative transportation which
dramatically increases the accessibility of Tibet, the Qinghai-Tibet railway will
enormously promote tourism development in areas along the railway line, especially for
Tibet (Zhang, 2002). Zhang Qingli, secretary of the CPC Tibet regional committee,
pointed out that after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, tourism revenue for 2006
reached RMB 2,770 million with 42.3 percent increase over 2005, and the number of
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travelers to Tibet increased 39.5 percent to 2.51million (Tibet tour, 2007.7.27). In
addition, from January to June in 2007, Lhasa received 796,925 travelers, which is a 77.7
percent growth over the same period in 2006 without the train service, and the revenue
generated was increased by 75 percent to RMB 833 million (Tibet tour, 2007.7.27).
Furthermore, air transportation to Tibet was actually increased after the opening of the
Qinghai-Tibet railway in July 2006; therefore a win-win situation for both train and air
transportation to Tibet is achieved. According to Xinhua news (2007.7.17), more airlines
are opening or increasing their flight services connecting Tibet after the opening of the
railway. Therefore, in the first half of 2007, the total number of travelers via Lhasa
airport reached 464 thousand, which is a 17.1 percent increase over the same period of
2006; and number of flights to and from Lhasa airport was increased by 19 percent to
4,300 flights. The total number of travelers to Tibet by train reached 1.5 million during
the first year of the Qinghai-Tibet train service, which constitutes slightly over 50 percent
of all travelers to Tibet (Xinhua, 2007.7.17).
Recent development ensures the continuous improvements of the accommodation
capacity in Tibet. According to the starred hotel report released on 15 June 2007 on the
website of Tibet Tour, which is the official website of Tibet Tourism Board, there are 75
starred hotels with the capability of receiving international tourists, including 1 four star,
1 pre-four star and 28 3 stars and 6 pre-3 star hotels in Tibet Autonomous region with a
total capacity of 11,602 beds (CNTA, 2007.6.15). Besides that there are around 1,250
non-star hotels or hostels, making the total number of beds available in Tibet
approximately 48,000 (Xinhua, 2007.4.5), which is sufficient to meet the accommodation
requirements in Tibet.
As reported by Xinhua News, after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which
increased the accessibility of Tibet, major restrictions of Tibet tourism were identified as
the difficulty of getting the train tickets and the entrance tickets for the Potala Palace
(Figure 2.2.1), especially during travel peak seasons; and the pressure on tourism
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operation and management dealing with the huge increase in travelers in Tibet, in terms
of the quality service, market regulation and tourism safety issues (Xinhua, 2007.4.5).
Figure 2.2.1: The Potala Place in Lhasa
(Source: Photo taken by the researcher)
The restricted capacity of the must-see tourism site of the Potala Palace (Figure 2.2.1) has
been a bottleneck for Tibet tourism development. The Potala Palace was first built in year
637 and the construction of the present palace began in 1645. Built with wood and earth on
the side of Marpo Ri hill, the Potala Palace has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site since 1994. Preservation of this world cultural heritage restricted the level of tourism
usage. Currently, the daily receiving capacity of the Potala Palace is adjusted from the
original 1,500 to 2,300 tourists by assigning tourists to different time slots during the day.
There are 1,600 group tickets and 700 individual tickets; however it is still not enough to
meet demand. As pointed by Zhang Qingli, secretary of the CPC Tibet regional committee,
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development and promotion of other nearby tourism attractions, such as Jokhang Temple and
Norbulingka, the former summer palace of the Dalai Lama, should be emphasized in order to
divert tourist flow from the Potala Place and prolong tourists’ stay in Lhasa, so that they have
more flexibility to arrange their visit to the Potala Place (Xinhua, 2007.4.5)
As stated by Niu (2002), besides accessibility, accommodation and the limited capacity
of major tourism sites discussed above, there are other important factors restricting
tourism development in Tibet, such as limited market, not well-developed infrastructure,
environmental disruption and social and cultural conflicts. Thus tourism development in
Tibet lags behind other regions in China. Possessing the richest but less developed
tourism resources in China, low level of human development and the unique history and
culture formed within its distinctive natural and isolated social environment, Niu (2002)
argued that Tibet tourism has great potential for further development. In addition, tourism
development would also play a critical role in the regional economic development of
Tibet, as tourism is more adaptable to the isolated environment. Moreover, the distinctive
social and natural environment in Tibet, which hinders the development of other
industries, is considered as the attraction of a tourism destination. Therefore, tourism
would be the break-through point for the economic development of Tibet, as tourism
could bring people, information and technology into this region, which would help bridge
the development gap between Tibet and other parts of China and help the development of
other economic sectors in this region.
2.2 Tourism and Transport
Transport is an inseparable part of tourism, forming an important part of the total travel
experience. One distinctive character of tourism products is that tourists need to travel to
the destination area to enjoy it. Therefore transport is inevitably involved in tourism by
providing the essential link between tourism origin and destination areas and facilitating
the movements of travelers with diversified purposes (Page, 2005). Moreover, as stated
by Page (2005), the mode of transport forms context and a controlled environment for
tourists’ movement between destinations and attractions. Lamb and Davidson (1996) also
argued that, as an important aspect of the tourist experience, the quality of the
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transportation experience is a key criterion in destination choice. Therefore, it is
important to understand the key relationships, inter-connections and interactions between
tourism and transport.
According to Leiper (1990), a tourism system is composed of a tourist, a travelergenerating region, tourism destination region, transit routes for tourists traveling between
generating and destination areas; and the travel and tourism industry, which is illustrated
by Page (2005) in Figure 2.3.
Figure 2.2: A Tourism System
Outbound tourists flow
Tourist
generating
area
Tourist traveling / in transit
Tourist
destination
Returning tourists flow
(Source: Redrawn from Page, 2005)
Collier (1994) proposed three needs to be fulfilled by tourist transport, as transporting
tourists from the generating to the host area, between destinations and within destinations.
Hall (1999) further improved the concept by categorizing roles of tourist transport into
four areas as linking the source market with the host destination, providing mobility and
access within the destination, providing mobility and access within an actual tourist
attraction, and facilitating travel along a recreational route.
However, transport is usually shared by both hosts and tourists to varying extents. Thus,
it is generally hard to distinguish between tourist and non-tourist use of different forms of
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transport, excepting dedicated forms of tourist transport such as charter flights and
cruises (Page, 2005).
The integral relationship that exists between transport and tourism is demonstrated by
Lamb and Davidson (1996: pp 264) as: Transport is one of the three foundational
components of tourism, the other two are the tourism product (or supply) and the tourism
market (or demand). Without transportation, most forms of tourism could not exist. In
some cases, the transportation experience is the tourism experience (e.g. cruises, scenic
and heritage rail trips, and motorcoach and bicycle tours).
In order to understand the transport-tourism relationship, Page (2005) proposed two interconnected approaches as transport for tourism and transport as tourism. Transport for
tourism considers transport as a utility. In this approach, the mode of transport has no
direct intrinsic value in itself as a tourism experience and the level of satisfaction is
related to cost and speed of travel. The other approach, transport as tourism, considers
transport as the main benefit of the tourism experience with high intrinsic value, or at
least many of the attributes associated with the mode of transport are beneficial.
Hobson and Uysal (1992:09) argued that major steps in the development of tourism have
been linked with advancements in transport. Technological innovations of international
transport actually caused distance shrinkage as stated by Tolley and Turton (1995), which
is manifested in tourism as well. However, the development of tourism and transport
should be viewed from both supply-led and demand-led concepts. Tourism demand could
be boosted by the provision of the transport infrastructure; meanwhile tourism use of the
transport infrastructure could also stimulate investment in transport infrastructure
development (Page, 2005). Therefore the relationship between tourism development and
transport development is two-directional rather than single-directional.
The mode of transport and the actual traveling experience often form an integral part of
their journeys and experience. However, transport is generally conceived as a passive
element in the tourist experience and not comparable with the destination attributes (Page,
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2005). Therefore, the tourism-transport relationship is rarely discussed in the context of
the tourist experience and is often neglected in existing tourism research.
In general, tourists require safe, reliable and efficient modes of transport, which is an
integral part of their total travel experience (Lamb and Davidson, 1996; Page, 2005).
Though in most cases in tourism, transport is less important than tourist activities in the
destination areas, transport with certain features can act as the main focus of the tourist
experience, such as in cruise and scenic, heritage rail trips. Therefore, the integral
relationship between the transport and overall tourist experience, the processes and
factors involved and their effect on the overall tourist experience need to be further
investigated and improved in tourism studies.
2.2.1 Scenic Train Travel
In recent decades, scenic train travel has gradually evolved from travel as a means of
transportation to form a new category of tourism, specializing in providing unique
onboard experiences for travelers. There are several famous scenic train travel
experiences in various parts of the world, such as the Canadian Rocky Mountaineer, the
Ghan of Australia, the Trans-Siberia of Russia and, most recently, the newly opened
railway from Beijing to Lhasa of Tibet in China. Though all the above trains still function
as a form of transportation, there is a significant shift of emphasis to providing a unique
onboard travel experience to travelers by specialized route design, and the provision of
onboard facilities and services. Those responsible for each of the above train journeys
have successfully built a tourism identity that is different from usual trains.
Based on the conceptual framework of tourism developed by Wall and Mathieson (2006),
scenic train travel can be considered as a distinctive tourism product, providing pleasant
and memorable travel experiences mainly within the train coaches at the time of the
journey. The train travel itself can be considered as a simplified mobile “destination”,
where most of the destination characteristics do not involve all of the various factors as in
the situation of a physical destination in a more usual tourism context. In addition, most
of the characteristics are manageable by the train travel providers. Scenic train travelers
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can be considered to be a group of people who expect enjoyable quality travel
experiences within the limited choices in space, time and facilities for the train journey.
The scenic train journeys or vacations largely cater to a niche market by facilitating the
unique exploration and appreciation of the scenic landscape and wildlife along the
railway line, the comforts of the onboard experience and the opportunity for meaningful
social interactions with other people.
By analyzing train travelers’ feedback from the websites of Canadian Rocky Mountaineer
and Whistler Mountaineer, five major elements forming their train travel experiences
were identified: Scenery, Services, Facilities, Food and Information in Su’s research
(2006). These demands could also be derived from their travel motivations: seeking
physical comforts, social interactions and self-development (Su, 2006). Scenery proves to
be the primary concern or the fundamental motivation of scenic train travelers. Friendly
and convenient services ensure travelers have an enjoyable time during the comparatively
long journey. Information provided satisfies travelers’ needs for self-development and
forms a basis for social interactions. Onboard facilities provide the technological basis for
the appreciation of the scenery and the availability of the services. Good food can elevate
the overall experience as the journey can not be truly enjoyable without it. Therefore, the
five major elements are closely interrelated and form a conceptual picture of travelers’
demands for scenic train travel experiences.
Scenic train travel, derived from train travel as means of transportation, is aimed at
providing pleasant, comfortable and memorable train travel experiences. Therefore, the
function as a transportation tool is weakened, while the emphasis on tourist experience is
strengthened.
2.3 Tourist Destination Choice Study
Travel destination choice, as one stage of the overall travel decision-making process, has
been one of the primary concerns in tourism research. Studies of destination choice could
enhance the understanding of tourist decision-making behaviour, and identify and
prioritize the various factors influencing the destination selection process. Furthermore,
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the interrelations between tourists’ socio-demographic characteristics, their motivations
and their destination preferences can be measured and illustrated. All these could provide
valuable and practical implications for destination planning, development and marketing.
The travel decision-making process is a crucial part of the overall travel process
including pre-travel, on-site, and post-travel. It involves the critical travel decisions on
whether to go and where to go, leading to the actual travel to certain destinations, which
is of primary concern for destination managers and tourism planners.
As widely discussed in the literature, people need both discretionary leisure time and
discretionary money as the two prerequisites to engage in tourism and recreation
activities (Mieczkowski, 1990). When the two prerequisites are satisfied, individuals then
step into the travel decision-making process. Nowadays, in the highly competitive
vacation market with a huge variety of facilities and products of tourist destinations, and
the generally increased discretionary time and money, potential tourists have more
flexibility and choices, which complicates the tourist’s decision-making process
(Mathieson & Wall, 1982).
Tourists’ decision-making within the framework of consumer choice processes has been
widely studied for decades. The consumer choice process is influenced by both
psychological variables and non-psychological variables. Psychological variables are
internal to the consumer, such as motivations, attitudes, beliefs and images; whereas nonpsychological variables are external factors influencing the formation of the former, such
as time, destination attributes, perceived costs, buyer characteristics and benefits sought
(Sirakaya, Sonmez, & Choi, 2001).
In terms of the relationship between the travel decision-making process and destination
choice process, the travel decision-making process could be considered as answering two
questions, whether to go and where to go. Destination choice is part of the overall travel
decision-making process answering the second question. Meanwhile, as outlined by
- 14 -
Mathieson and Wall (Mathieson & Wall, 1982), there are five principal phases in the
travel decision-making process:
1) Felt need or travel desire
2) Information collection and evaluation
3) Travel decision
4) Travel preparation and travel experience
5) Travel satisfaction evaluation
Destination choice usually appears at phase two of information collection and evaluation,
when the first phase has been satisfied with recognition of a travel need or desire. At the
destination choice stage, attributes of different destinations are collected and compared,
and then destination choice is made based on the tourist’s individual situation and
preference. Afterwards, an overall travel decision including destination, accommodation,
transportation and activities is made. In addition, travel experience and evaluation could
also influence the next round of destination choice.
Furthermore, as a form of consumer choice, Lancaster’s (1966, 1971) characteristicsbased theory of consumer choice, saying consumers base their purchase decision on the
comparative attributes of a relevant choice set of rival products, could be applied in the
travel destination choice process, where tourists choose between destinations with
different attractions, facilities and other attributes (Huybers, 2003).
The discrete choice model used in Huybers’ (2003) research is based on “random utility
theory” assuming choices are made based on the relative utilities derived from alternative
options available in a choice set. It is a useful tool to investigate tourist destination
choices by analyzing the determinants underlying tourists’ destination choices, which
could help to identify destination position and potential needs in the market and benefit
the strategic planning of destination development and promotion.
Bowden (2006) examined international tourists’ main destination choices within China’s
three major gateway cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Influencing factors to
international tourists’ destination choice were identified as cultural proxies and cultural
- 15 -
distance, geographical distance, social-demographic attributes, and their respective
influences in the case study were also analyzed. The study shows that cultural variables
and the origin of tourists are related to destination choice of international tourists.
The stated destination preferences are used in Huybers’ (2003) research to represent
actual travel. The feasibility of this methodology was illustrated in Pike’s research on
domestic short break holidays in Australia linking attitudinal data with measures of actual
behavior through longitudinal studies. A general consistency between travel attitude and
behaviour in the short term has been found such that 75 percent of participants visited
one of the listed destinations in their decision set within the three month study period
(Pike, 2006). Pike (2006) also found that destinations poorly rated in the decision set
composition (attitude) generally receive low actual travel (behaviour); in other words,
low awareness of a destination leads to low intent to visit. Therefore, effective and
differentiated positioning of a destination into a tourist’s decision set increases the
attractiveness of a destination and represents a source of competitive advantage (Pike,
2006). The research of Pike (2006), Bowden (2006), and Seddighi and Theocharous
(2002) indicate that a traveler survey could be a reliable research method in
understanding travelers’ decision-making behaviour and identifying their destination
decision set.
2.3.1 Implications for Destination Planning, Development and Promotion
Destination choice study concentrates on the process though which tourists collect and
compare destination information to make their choice, which is a critical part of the travel
decision-making process. Based on the literature, different destinations have different
attributes relating to different tourist motivations, and one destination attribute may
arouse several tourist motivations. Therefore, destination choice research could help to
identify highly influential factors in tourists’ destination choice process and understand
how those important factors affect tourist destination choice. The findings would be
useful in establishing the relationship between potential tourist characteristics and their
destination preferences in order to define suitable market segments for specific types of
tourist destinations. As argued by Baloglu and Uysal (1996), “most successful products
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are those which respond best to a bundle of needs within a given market segment”.
Destination planners and managers should make more efforts in “matching a
destination’s major attributes to the tourist’s diverse psychological needs” (Baloglu &
Uysal, 1996, pp 34). Therefore, suitable development and promotion strategies could be
developed targeting the specific segments of potential tourists and their specific
motivations and needs in response to the existing destination attributes.
Implications and suggestions for destination marketing and positioning would also be
generated based on the research on destination choice. The multi-destination choice
analysis done by Tussyadiah, Tatsuhito, and Morisugi (2006) provided useful
implications for tour operators and destination managers in developing multi-destination
products and marketing strategies, such as combining destinations with the preferable
proportion of characteristics to increase the utilities of travel and to satisfy the varietyseeking needs of tourists (Tussyadiah, Tatsuhito, & Morisugi, 2006). In addition, tourists
usually want to experience more than one attribute in a destination; therefore, preference
for one single attribute may come from various motivations. Thus, a proper matching of
pull destination attributes with push motivations is a key point in effective destination
marketing (Baloglu & Uysal, 1996).
Extensive research in consumer decision theory suggests that images of tourism products
and travelers’ perceptions of destinations play important roles in the destination decisions
of potential travelers. A clear understanding of traveler’s motivations, perceptions and
images of a destination is crucial for successful destination marketing and positioning
(Sirakaya, Sonmez, & Choi, 2001).
A significant relationship between destination attributes and motivations was found in
Pyo’s research (1998) using the 1985 national survey data of perceptions and preferences
of pleasure US travelers for Tourism Canada. Both destination attributes and motivations
are important factors influencing tourist destination choice; therefore understanding the
linkage between the two can contribute to package tour design, destination management,
tourism planning and promotion (Baloglu & Uysal, 1996; Pyo, Mihalik, & Uysal, 1998).
- 17 -
2.3.2 Factors Influencing Tourist Destination Choice
In the literature, various factors are identified as significantly influencing tourist
destination choice. Destination choice is made largely through interactions between
destination attributes and individual tourist motivations (Nicolau & Mas, 2005; Baloglu
& Uysal, 1996). Tourist socio-demographic characteristics are also identified as
important factors influencing destination choice (Huyber, 2003). Other widely discussed
influencing factors are familiarity with the destination, travel experience, expectation and
satisfaction. Moreover, these factors will influence tourist destination choice with
different degrees of importance specific to each destination and tourist.
Socio-demographic Variables
Characteristics of the chosen destination to some extent imply the characteristics, needs
and requirements of the tourists; therefore destination choice is also influenced by sociodemographic characteristics of the tourists. Socio-demographic variables are generally
included in consumer-related tourism studies as tourist characteristics influencing
perceptions of destinations and travel behaviors. Within socio-demographic variables,
there are four categories: demographic factors such as age, sex and education; economic
factors such as income level; geographical factors such as tourist origin and cultural
factors as visitors from different cultures ususally have different interpretations of the
same destination attributes (Awaritefe, 2004). For example, a different age group could
represent a form of subculture due to distinctive value systems, motivations, beliefs,
attitudes and behaviour; thus significant differences in needs, wants and lifestyle may
appear between different age groups (Sirakaya, Sonmez, & Choi, 2001). Huybers’ (2003)
research investigating Melbourne tourists’ stated destination choice for a domestic
overnight holiday also revealed that age and income are important determinants of
destination choice. Therefore, socio-demographic variables of a certain group of tourists
should be reviewed to understand their destination choice.
Tourist Motivation
Why and how people travel to preferred destinations has been a critical and fundamental
question in tourism studies; therefore considerable attention has been put on tourist
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motivation research in the tourism literature. In addition, the selection of a certain holiday
destination implies a desire for a certain kind of benefits; thus motivations play a
fundamental role in destination choice by acting as the internal forces leading tourist
behaviour in a certain direction (Nicolau & Mas, 2005).
According to Murray (1964), motivation is defined as “an internal factor that arouses,
directs, and integrates a person’s behavior”. It is not observed directly but inferred from
the behaviour or used to explain the behaviour, which is generally accepted as the
definition of motivation (Snepenger, et al., 2006). And tourism motivation, as stated by
Dann (1981), is “a meaningful state of mind which adequately disposes an actor or group
of actors to travel, and which is subsequently interpretable by others as a valid
explanation for such a decision.” A slightly more specific definition of tourism
motivation is offered by Crompton and McKay (1997), saying “tourism motivation is
conceptualized as a dynamic process of internal psychological factors (needs and wants)
that generate a state of tension or disequilibrium within individual” (Snepenger, et al.,
2006: pp 427).
Tourist motivation, integrating and emphasizing both psychological and cultural
components, is a generic and fundamental term, giving value and direction to travel
choice, behaviour and experience (Pearce, 1993). As argued by Pearce (1993), the task of
tourist motivation theories and perspectives is to provide a rich list of short and long-term
tourist needs differing in scope to be used in specific studies of satisfaction, decision
making and marketing, preferably within some hierarchical or integrative framework. In
response to the nature of tourist motivations, a dynamic approach should be adopted in
motivation research addressing both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and the
development of multi-motive perspectives.
As a primary concern to tourism scholars, the importance of motivation studies has long
been accepted in tourism research. As summarized by Snepenger et al. (2006) based on
various theoretical and practical studies describing, explaining, and predicting tourist
motivations, motivations are the fundamental reasons for behaviour. They are critical to
- 19 -
understanding the vacation decision-making process, and foundational to assessing tourist
satisfaction from the experience (Snepenger et al., 2006).
One of the extensively used and widely accepted concept explaining tourist motivations
is the framework of push and pull factors (Dann, 1977; Crompton, 1979). This concept of
push and pull factors argues that travel behaviour is motivated by two sets of factors.
People are pushed by social-psychological variables and individual tourist needs into
making a travel decision; on the other hand they are pulled by the attractiveness of the
destination area, in another word, destination attributes (Baloglu & Uysal, 1996;
Klenosky, 2002; Awaritefe, 2004).
According to Klenosky (2002), push and pull factors generally relate to two separate
decisions made at two separate times, being whether to go and where to go. Therefore,
push factors are generally considered to precede pull factors. However, the two should
not be viewed as operating entirely independently. The interrelationship between the pull
attributes of a destination and the social-psychological push factors has been examined
and demonstrated in much tourism research to investigate tourist motivation and
behaviour (Klenosky, 2002).
As push and pull factors play an important role in tourist travel decisions and destination
choice, it is crucial to understand both push and pull factors and the relationship between
them to facilitate effective destination planning, development and marketing. Many
empirical studies have been done to examine push and pull factors using different
approaches, such as qualitative personal interviews, conceptually-based scale
development, and multivariate analysis of existing survey data (Klenosky, 2002).
Research has been carried out by Klenosky (2002) on potential pull factors for potential
spring break destinations through the means-end approach. He conducted interviews with
undergraduate students at mid-western United States colleges to ascertain their preferred
destinations and the factors that made those destinations attractive for their next spring
break vacation. The findings enhanced the understanding of push and pull relationships
and illustrated that one pull attribute of a destination could be derived from various
- 20 -
motivational forces, such as the beach could serve as a location for social interactions,
sport activities, or simply for enjoying the natural environment. Therefore, the
implication of arousing diversified motivational forces for a single destination attribute
from different groups of potential tourists can be derived based on the findings for
destination positioning and promotion.
Destination attributes refer to the offerings of a destination in forming the travel
experience of tourists, and is considered as the tangible pull attributes of a destination in
explaining tourist’s destination choice according to push and pull theory (Awaritefe,
2004). In the process of destination choice, destination attributes play an important role in
forming tourists’ decisions. Common destination attributes discussed in the literature
include accommodation, attractions, food, activities, transportation, distance, price, etc.
The importance and relevance of those attributes in tourist destination choice differ for
each individual destination or group of tourists. Awaritefe (2004) explored the
motivations of tourist destination choice in Nigeria by conducting a questionnaire survey
for both domestic and international tourists randomly sampled from seven tourism
destinations. Attractiveness of destination, quality service, facilities, location and
accessibility were demonstrated as important factors in destination choice.
Nicolau and Mas’s (2005) empirical research in Spain investigated the effects of distance
and price in the destination choice process. The findings show that the constraints of
distance and price on destination choice are moderated by social-psychological factors,
meaning social-psychological factors have either a direct or inverse effect on the
influence of distance and price to destination selection (Nicolau & Mas, 2005).
Practically, the understanding of the moderating role of social-psychological factors in
the effect of destination attributes such as distance and price on destination choice could
help destinations in making geographically and economically targeted marketing
strategies (Nicolau & Mas, 2005).
- 21 -
Travel Experience
Dann (1981) argued that tourism experience or expectations of a holiday, “can act as
strong motivators in relation to push factors” (Page & Connell, 2006). In the attempt to
predict destination choice through destination loyalty, Oppermann (1999) pointed out the
importance of previous travel experience on the destination choice process. As actual
destination experience influences an individual’s destination awareness and preferences
and is always incorporated in the evaluation stage of future destination decisions, they
should be included in the variables influencing destination choice (Oppermann, 1999).
Past literature indicates that travel experience is closely related to tourists’ expectation
and satisfaction, both of which are important factors in tourism evaluation. The
experience-based model introduced by Woodruff et al (1983) indicated that consumers’
experience should be considered when evaluating their satisfaction during service
encounters. Furthermore, Westbrook and Newman (1978) pointed out that people with
extensive travel experience tended to develop realistic expectations and showed greater
satisfaction ratings than did people without experience. However, limited evidence has
been found indicating a positive relationship between experience and satisfaction (Bowie
& Chang, 2005). Besides that, as argued by Bowie & Chang (2005), degree of
expectation is strongly related to past travel experience and the perception of package
tour products.
Familiarity with the Destination
Familiarity with the destination is not widely discussed in the literature as an important
factor influencing destination choice and no consensus has been achieved as to the
influence of destination familiarity on destination choice due to the heterogeneous
destination preferences of tourists. Pike (2006) argued that familiarity with a destination
could minimize perceived risk and provide guaranteed travel experience and ease the
decision-making process; therefore repeated visitation to favourite destinations is not
uncommon tourism behaviour. However, for people seeking new experiences, familiar
destinations may be those they try to avoid in their destination choice. Huyber’s (2003)
study also showed that familiarity of a destination constitutes a determinant of destination
- 22 -
choice by enhancing the utility of the destination. In summary, familiarity of the
destination does influence destination choice, either positively or negatively; and the
influence may differ with different kinds of destinations or different groups of tourists.
Travel Expectation and Satisfaction
There is an important correlation between travel expectation and satisfaction identified in
the literature. Expectation is achieved mainly at the second phase of information
collection and evaluation in the travel decision-making process. Expectations influence
the perceptions of the performance of products and services, as well as perceptions of the
travel experience, and thus impact travel satisfaction formation (Gnoth, 1997). Therefore,
tourist expectation can affect tourist on-site experience and their satisfaction level, and
thus influence the next round of destination choices.
Expectations are considered as “desire or wants of consumers” (Parasuraman et al, 1988:
pp16) or a pre-consumption attitude before the next purchase indicating what consumers
feel the service provider “should offer rather than what they would offer” (Higgs et al.,
2005). Expectation represents the service that the customer anticipates (Bowie and Chang,
2005); and experience may or may not be involved.
As reviewed and summarized by Bowie and Chang (2005), expectations are formed when
tourists plan to go to a destination where they have never been and anticipate something
they have no previous experience. Therefore, many uncontrollable factors are involved in
forming customers’ expectation, including previous experience, advertising, customers’
psychological condition at the time of service delivery, customer background and value,
and the image of the purchased product. Among them advertising could be considered as
an information source, where the images of the purchased product were based on (Bowie
and Chang, 2005).
It is also important to look at the sources of information used to form expectations. A
range of internal and external sources identified in the literature include marketing
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communications, word of mouth referrals, third-party information and prior experience
with specific brands or category norms (Higgs et al., 2005).
Based on the investigation of the differences in visitors’ expectations pre and post
experiences of a major art exhibition, Higgs et al. (2005) concluded that forecast
expectations were different to ideal expectations. The finding showed that actual
visitation experience also affects visitors’ expectations (Higgs et al., 2005).
Mc Gill and Iacobucci (1992) found that satisfaction was not evaluated on pre-experience
expectations but on attributes that were generated by the experience itself. Moreover,
according to Higgs et al. (2005), pre-experience expectation attributes are rather abstract;
while post-experience evaluation attributes were concrete. Level of satisfaction can be
influenced by other people during multiple-encounter services in a single transaction
(Bowie and Chang, 2005). Tourists satisfaction is mainly based on the combination of
their expectation, the service performance of the tour guides and operators, tourists’ ontour attitude and behaviour based on their past travel experiences, and their perception of
equity (Bowie and Chang, 2005).
Gnoth (1997) considered expectations as tentative (mental or neural) representations of
future events or unfinished learning processes. While, as an emotional response to an
experience (Gnoth, 1997), satisfaction is “more closely related to inner-directed or drivebased attitudes and values rather than to outer-directed or cognitive dominant values or
attitudes” (Gnoth, 1994, 1997).
As satisfaction is a relative concept judged in relation to certain comparison standard
(Oliver, 1996 from Higgs et al. 2005), expectation is important as the reference or
comparative value for satisfaction judgment (Higgs et al. 2005). Previous studies show
that lower expectation results in higher satisfaction and vice versa.
The study by Gnoth (1997) showed that pre-experience expectation focused on abstract
attributes such as opportunity for self-development, while post-experience evaluation
- 24 -
focused more on concrete attributes such as details of the service process, suggesting that
“expectation are not clearly formed prior to service delivery and the service itself
prompts consumers with the evaluation criteria” (Gnoth, 1997).
2.4 Destination Choice Framework
Based on the influencing factors identified above and their interrelationship, a destination
choice framework is outlined. Factors influencing destination choice are not limited to
those included in the framework. Other factors might not be as influential or commonly
recognized, but could play an important role in selecting certain types of destination.
Therefore, in destination choice research, a wider perspective should be adopted to
identify relevant and important influencing factors for each individual case.
Figure 2.4: Destination Choice Framework
Tourist Destination Choice
Sociodemographic
variables
Travel Experience:
First-time
Repeated
Demographic Factors
Economic Factors
Cultural Factors
Geographical Factors
Destination
Familiarity
Push Factor:
Socio-psychological
Away from
daily routine
Expectation
&
Satisfaction
Motivation
Pull Factor:
Destination Attributes
Price
Transportation
Service
Learning
experience
Self-esteem
(Source: developed by the researcher)
- 25 -
Attractions
Distance
Accessibility
Facilities
2.5 Gaps Identified in Literature
The following gaps in tourism literature concerning destination choice are identified.
First, research in the tourism marketing literature largely focuses on general aspects of
motivations and travel decision-making, and only a few studies address issues
specifically in the destination choice process. As discussed previously, destination choice
usually happens in a later stage in the travel decision-making process, after the decision
to travel has been made, and is closely related to destination attributes, many of which are
manageable by the destination. Therefore, studies of destination choice could have
practical implications in terms of tourist destination planning, marketing and
management. Second, few researchers have compared groups of tourists on their
destination choice preferences before and after their trip. Furthermore, most researchers
examine a limited number of the factors influencing tourist destination choice; thus,
although partial frameworks exist, there is a lack of a framework outlining a broader
picture including a wide range of important factors that influence tourists’ destination
choices.
Besides, limited research is available on Tibet tourism, especially research that has been
conducted after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in July 2006. Within the few
studies, most investigate macro-aspects, such as number of travelers and amount of
revenue generated. None focuses on the train journey from the travelers’ perspective,
including implications of the train for Tibet tourism, travelers’ expectations and
satisfactions, and their opinions on the train journey experience. Furthermore, although it
is widely recognized that both the journey and the destination are important components
in tourism, transport is generally considered as a component in tourism to be endured in
order to enjoy the destination experience. Therefore, very few studies have taken the
trouble to explore the relative importance of the journey in comparison with the
destination and the impact of the journey in tourist destination choice. This is an
important aspect of this case study of Tibet.
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2.6 Chapter Summary
In the context of increasing tourism competition, tourism destinations are challenged to
differentiate and position themselves properly to attract more tourists. Therefore,
understanding how tourists make destination choices is of critical importance to
destination planners and managers.
This chapter reviewed tourism literature about domestic tourism in China, Tibet tourism,
transport and tourism, scenic train travel, and previous studies related to destination
choice from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Important factors influencing
destination choice are identified based on the literature, which forms the destination
choice framework to be applied in the case study of Tibet.
It is found that the research methods generally adopted in exploring the destination
choice process are questionnaire surveys or interviews administered to selected groups of
tourists. Furthermore, in the tourism marketing literature, most research concentrates on
tourist motivation studies or the general travel decision-making process, although some
work has been done on the specific destination choice process. Since motivation is just
one of the factors that influence tourist destination choice, studies from a purely
motivational perspective can only partially explain the destination choice process. In
addition, the overall travel decision-making process includes two critical stages, these
being whether to go and where to go, and the destination choice process falls into the
second stage linking the intention to travel with the actual destination selection. This
might provide more practical insights and implications for destination planning,
development and marketing. Therefore, more research should be done focusing on
destination choice processes for different destinations in order to identify important
factors leading tourists to the specific destination and how those factors influence tourist
destination choice. Based on research on destination choice, suggestions could be made
to direct and facilitate proper development and positioning of tourism destinations
specific to their targeted segments of potential tourists.
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Besides that, the relation of transport and tourism is not a widely studied tourism issue. In
the context of Tibet, transportation is considered to play an important role in tourism
development due to the special geographical location. And the recent opening of the
Qinghai-Tibet railway should be a crucial breakthrough prompting the need to analyze
how the railway impacts tourism development in Tibet, travelers’ decision-making to
Tibet and the relative importance of the train journey in comparison with the destination
based on a study of actual train travelers to Tibet.
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3. Methodology
This chapter outlines the research methods used in this study. First, background
information on the Tibet Autonomous Region and the newly-opened Qinghai-Tibet
railway is provided. Second, the research methods are presented and the strengths and
weaknesses of self-administered questionnaire surveys, questionnaire design and
observational methods are discussed. Third, details of the research procedures are
explained. Then, methods of data analysis are described. Finally, limitations of the
research methods are outlined.
3.1 Introduction to the Study Area
3.1.1
Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is located in western China, neighboring Xinjiang,
Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and bordering India, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sikkim
and Nepal (as shown in Figure 3.1.1: The location of Tibet in China and Figure 3.1.2:
Administrative map of Tibet). With an average altitude above 4,000 meters, the Tibetan
plateau covers an area of 1.2 million square kilometers, surrounded by the Himalaya to
the south, the Karakoram to the west and the Kunlun mountains to the north. The Tibetan
plateau is also the source of great rivers, such as the Yangtzi River, Yellow River, Nu
River (Salween), Lancang River (Mekong) and the Yarlong Tsangpo River
(Brahmaputra).
Tibet has a low population size and density compared with other provinces and
autonomous regions in China. It had a total population of 2.73 million in 2004. The
population of Tibet consists of primarily ethnic Tibetans, who constitute more than 90
percent
of
the
population
in
the
region
(China
Net,
http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/zhuanti/xz05/1131842.htm); however the proportion of
Han people in the region has increased in recent years. Both the written and spoken forms
of the Tibetan language are entirely different from the Mandarin Chinese used in
mainland China. In terms of religion, Tibet is the traditional centre of Tibetan Buddhism,
a distinctive form of Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is extremely important to ethnic
- 29 -
Tibetans, and is intigrated into every aspect of the traditions and daily life of Tibetan
people. These distinctive aspects of Tibetan culture contribute substantially to its
attractiveness to tourists.
The Tibetan economy is dominated by agriculture due to the geographical features of the
region. Livestock raising is the primary occupation due to the limited arable land on the
Tibetan Plateau. In recent decades, other industries and infrastructure improvements have
been gradually developing in the region. In addition, tourism in Tibet has become
increasingly important in terms of its economic contribution to the region. Famous as
"The Rooftop of the World" and "The Kingdom of Buddhists’", Tibet has rich and unique
tourism resources. Undoubtedly a mysterious land to people all over the world, the
religious culture and the diverse landscape with high altitude characteristics and
adventure tourism sites like the Himalayas attract numerous travelers.
One of the major tourism attractions is the city of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet
Autonomous Region. It is located in a mountain-fringed valley at an elevation of 3,658
meter (12,000 feet). With an annual sunlight of more than 3,000 hours, Lhasa is nicknamed the “Sunlight City”. The main landmark of Tibet, the Potala Palace, is located in
the centre of Lhasa, and is surrounded by many Buddhist temples and monuments. For
centuries, pilgrims from all over Tibet and even neighboring provinces have been making
pilgrimages to the city.
The Tibet travel planner website summarizes the assets of Tibet from three perspectives
of splendid landscape, friendly Tibetan People and the unique religion of Tibetan
Buddhism (Tibet travel planner: http://www.tibettravelplanner.com/why_travel.htm),
which are considered as the key attractions of Tibet as a tourism destination. Here is a
quotation from Tibet travel planner website, describing Tibet as a tourism destination:
No matter how one gets there, a trip to Tibet is a journey out of the ordinary. It gives
fresh meaning to the old label: the trip of a lifetime (or perhaps several of them, if
reincarnation proves to be true).
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I'm not a religious person, or even very spiritual, but this place awakens childhood
wonder and silences the ego. Put simply, this place puts me in my place.
(Envoy Travel's Travelogue, 2002, http://www.tibettravelplanner.com/why_travel.htm)
Figure 3.1.1: The Location of Tibet in China
Source: http://www.tibettravel.info/tibet-map/location-map-of-tibet.html
- 31 -
Figure 3.1.2: Administrative Map of Tibet
(Source: http://www.chinahighlights.com/tibet/map.htm)
3.1.2
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway
The direct train connecting Beijing and Lhasa first operated on July 1, 2006. The whole
train journey takes 48 hours from Beijing to Lhasa (the location of the Qinghai-Tibet
railway in China is shown in Figure 3.1.2.1). The Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway is
1,142 kilometers long, stretching across the Tibetan Plateau from Golmud of Qinghai to
Lhasa (The route map between Golmud and Lhasa is shown in Figure 3.1.2.2). As the
world's highest railway, around 960 kilometers or over 80percent of the Qinghai-Tibet
section are at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters above sea level, and over half the
length of the railway is laid on permafrost. The Tanggula Pass is 5,072 meters above sea
level.
According to Zhang Shuguang (People Daily, 2005.12.12), director of the Transportation
Bureau with China's Ministry of Railways, the trains running on the Qinghai-Tibet
Railway are the most advanced in China, with all carriages installed with oxygensupplying equipment. The train runs at a speed of 160 km per hour on the plains, but
- 32 -
slows to 120 km per hour when it reaches the Qinghai-Tibet section (People Daily,
2005.12.12). In addition to Beijing, direct passenger trains are now in service from
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and many other major cities of China to Lhasa ( as
shown in Table 3.1.2).
Table 3.1.2: Direct Train Service from Major Cities in China to Lhasa, Tibet
Train No.
From/To
Kilometer
Hard Seat
T27/28
Beijing west
4064
389
T22/23/24/21
Chengdu
3360
331
T222/223/224/221 Chongqing
3654
355
T164/165/166/163 Shanghai
4373
406
T262/264
Guangzhou
4980
451
K917/K918
Lanzhou
2188
242
N917/N918
Xining
1972
226
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai-Tibet_Railway)
Price (RMB)
Hard Sleeper
(lower berth)
813
712
754
845
923
552
523
Soft Sleeper
(lower berth)
1262
1104
1168
1314
1434
854
810
The train ticket of the Qinghai-Tibet railway has no difference from other train tickets in
China as shown in Figure 3.1.2.4. Figure 3.1.2.3 shows the train running through Tibet
Plateau. And Figure 3.1.2.5 and Figure 3.1.2.6 shows the typical view train travelers will
get in the Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway.
- 33 -
Figure 3.1.2.1 Location Map of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai-Tibet_Railway)
- 34 -
Figure 3.1.2.2: The Route of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway from Golmud to Lhasa
(Source: http://www.tibettravelplanner.com/train-pictures.htm)
- 35 -
Figure 3.1.2.3: The Train Running Through Tibet Plateau
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai-Tibet_Railway)
Figure 3.1.2.4: Train Ticket
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai-Tibet_Railway)
- 36 -
Figure 3.1.2.5 View along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway - River
Figure 3.1.2.6 View along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway - Snow-covered Mountain
(Source: photo taken by the researcher)
- 37 -
3.2
Research Methods
In order to achieve the objective of the study, a questionnaire survey was chosen as the
main research method for primary data collection. The questionnaire was delivered by the
researcher to travelers on the train from Beijing to Lhasa and from Lhasa to Beijing. In
addition, the researcher’s observations both on the train and at the destination provide
complementary information.
3.2.1 Questionnaire Survey
A questionnaire survey was chosen as the primary research method in this study because
of its cost-effectiveness in collecting data and its suitability for investigating the
phenomena in question (Seddighi, 2000). It could satisfy the research purpose of getting
first-hand information from a sample of travelers on the train. The major advantage of
self-administered questionnaire surveys is that a large number of respondents can be
reached to facilitate quantitative analysis. However the depth of the information is
restricted by the limited time spent on each individual respondent and the standardized
questions and format designed for the targeted population in general.
Based on a review of previous studies cited below, self-administered questionnaire
surveys were identified as commonly-used, relevant and effective research methods in
tourism researches from the tourists’ perspective. They have been widely used, for
example, in studies of motivations, expectations and satisfactions, destination image, and
destination choice. For example, Awaritefe (2004) conducted a questionnaire survey of
both domestic and international tourists randomly sampled from seven tourism
destinations in Nigeria to investigate the motivations underlying tourist destination choice
in a Third World country. A destination-based questionnaire survey was administered to
international tourists by Bowden (2006) to examine the cross-cultural differences in
destination choices within China’s three major gateway cities of Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou. Higgs, Polonsky and Hollick (2005) investigated the differences between
visitors’ expectations and experiences, using a pre and post method, based on a total of
550 questionnaires administered to two sub-samples of visitors during a major art
exhibition. Seddighi and Theocharous (2002) developed a theoretical framework to
- 38 -
explain tourist destination choices to visit Cyprus. They used the characteristics of
tourists and tourism products as key determinants and collected 172 valid questionnaires
from tourists. Sirakaya, Sonmez, and Choi (2001) investigated the role of image on the
destination choices of potential travelers by analyzing 305 valid questionnaires obtained
from students in four geographically dispersed universities in the United States. Kim,
Jogaratnam and Noh (2006) conducted email questionnaires with students in an
American university to examine the push and pull motivations for their international
leisure travel destination selections based and obtained 469 valid responses. These studies
show that questionnaire surveys are a common methodology employed by researchers
investigating similar topics to the one that is explored here.
3.2.1.1 Questionnaire Design
Two sets of questionnaires were designed for train passengers to be administered on the
outward and return journeys. Very few passengers originated in Tibet: almost all got on
the train in China mainland to go to Tibet or were returning from Tibet to China mainland.
In order to maintain the comparability of the pre and post-visit questionnaires, the
majority of questions were the same in both questionnaires. Changes were made in
sections pertaining to the expected actual destination experience.
The first section of the questionnaire was designed to acquire information on each
respondent’s journey. The second section focused on travel expectations and satisfactions,
and their experiences both on the train and at the destination. The respondents were asked
to rate on a five-point Likert scale, with ratings ranging from “very unimportant” to “very
important” or “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”, their expectation of the destination
and their degree of satisfaction with the train journey. The third section was used to
collect demographic and socio-economic data, including gender, age, place of origin,
education level, monthly income and employment. The fourth section was added to the
post-visit questionnaire requesting recommendations that could enhance the tourism
product at the destination and on the train journey based on their actual travel experiences.
- 39 -
Both close-ended questions and open-ended questions were used. The first three sections
were composed mainly of close-ended questions, which were easy to answer and
facilitate statistical analysis. Questions in the fourth section of the post-visit questionnaire
were open-ended, offering more flexibility to participants to expressing their opinions on
their travel experience, and to identify problems and make suggestions. The close-ended
questions were composed of dichotomous questions, multiple choices, and 5-point Likert
scale questions.
The major advantage of open-ended questions is that the answers are not restricted by the
researcher’s knowledge and perspective, so the probability of missing important factors is
lowered. However, as answers are more diverse and more detailed, it is usually difficult
and time-consuming to conduct statistical and comparative analysis. Close-ended
questions are relatively easy to answer, analyze and compare; but they may induce
researcher’s bias by offering answers or wording slanted in a particular direction. To
counteract this effect, an open-ended alternative was added to some questions, providing
respondents with a place to voice out their own opinion when it was not covered by the
available choices. Thus, in order to balance the strengths and weaknesses of the two
methods, and to achieve more representative and convincing results, a combination of
close-ended and open-ended questions was used.
The destination choice framework proposed in Chapter two was referred as a guideline in
designing the structure and contents of questionnaire. It also guided the composing of
individual questions and answer choices in the questionnaire.
The questionnaire survey was used for both Chinese and foreign travelers. Therefore, it
was first developed in English and then translated by the researcher into Chinese, both of
which went through pilot tests before being finalized (see below).
3.2.1.2 Survey Design
The questionnaire survey was targeted at passengers on the train between Beijing and
Lhasa of Tibet. They are the actual tourists who have chosen Tibet as their travel
- 40 -
destination and the train as their mode of transportation. The total capacity of the train
between Beijing and Lhasa is 936 passengers and the train journey takes about 48 hours,
which was the maximum possible survey time in each direction.
There are various survey delivery methods, such as mail surveys, telephone interviews,
web surveys, face-to-face and household surveys. Each method has advantages and
disadvantages and is suitable for different research needs. In this research, the targeted
population was travelers on the train between Beijing and Lhasa, and between Lhasa and
Beijing. The questionnaire survey was delivered by the researcher to randomly selected
travelers on the train (see below for detailed sample selection procedure). While
delivering the questionnaire, the researcher could introduce the purpose of the survey and
endure the meaning of the questions were properly understood by the respondents, and
any ambiguities could be spotted and clarified. In addition, it would not be possible to use
mail or phone surveys because no contact list was available. Questionnaires being
delivered by the researcher on the train ensured that the target population is accessed.
Moreover, the quality of the survey responses and the number of usable questionnaires
could be ensured. The disadvantage of this questionnaire delivery method is that the
presence of the researcher and the interaction with respondents may introduce biases.
3.2.2
Researcher’s Observations
The second research method that was used was observation, both on the train and at the
destination. Observation is a useful research method to get first-hand data on the
participants (Creswell, 2003). On the train, I observed the activities engaged in by the
passengers, such as enjoying the view along the route, chatting with other passengers,
reading or other activities. The purpose was to find out passengers’ reaction to and the
utilization of onboard services and facilities. At the destination, I observed the tourism
facilities, activities and services available and travelers’ behavior in order to acquire a
first hand impression of the local tourism development status.
Observation is flexible, qualitative and reflects the first-hand experience gained in the
research area from the research’s perspective. It can be a valid and effective
- 41 -
accompaniment to quantitative research methods. However, there are problems with
reliability and generalizability of findings based solely on the researcher’s observation
because it is inevitably limited by the specific time and location of the observation being
conducted and highly subjective according to the researcher’s perceptions, biases and
interpretations(Babbie, 1998; Creswell, 2003).
3.2.3
Secondary data collection
Limited by accessibility and resources, not all data used in this study are primary data
gathered by the researcher. Secondary data are also used in this study, including national
or provincial statistics, government reports and news reports. To ensure the credibility of
the secondary data used in this study, data were taken from official websites at a national
scale, including National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBSC, http://www.stats.gov.cn/),
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA, http://www.cnta.gov.cn/index.asp),
Tibet Tourism Bureau (Tibet tour, http://www.tibettour.org/), and Tibet Channel of
Xinhua News Agency (http://www.xz.xinhuanet.com/).
3.3 Research Procedures
3.3.1
Pilot Test
A pilot test was carried out before the actual questionnaire survey with the targeted
sample. The purpose of the pilot test was to ensure the clarity and conceptualness of the
questionnaire, to evaluate whether the wording of the questionnaire would convey the
intended meaning effectively and to measure how long it would take to complete the
questionnaire. Although the majority of passengers on the train were expected to be
Chinese, there would be international tourists on board as well. Therefore, each pair of
pre- and post-visit questionnaires was prepared in both Chinese and English. As a result,
the pilot test was conducted separately with Chinese-speaking and English-speaking
participants. They read through the questionnaire, answered the questions and provided
their inputs on the wording of the questionnaires. For the Chinese version of the
questionnaires, five Chinese students at the University of Waterloo and five Chinese in
Beijing from different age group and education levels were selected. As the English
version of the questionnaires was approved by my supervisor and committee members,
- 42 -
just two Canadian students at the University of Waterloo were selected for the pilot test.
The final Chinese and English versions of the questionnaires were developed based on
the feedback from the pilot test.
3.3.2
Timing of the Research
The field research was undertaken on the train both ways between Beijing and Lhasa
from the 13th to 22nd of May 2007, which is during the peak travel season of Tibet from
May to October when the weather is warm and suitable for travel and the majority of
travelers to Tibet go during that time.
3.3.3
Questionnaire Survey Operation
There are several major stops during the train journey as shown in Table 3.2.3, such as
Xi’an, Lan Zhou and Xi Ning, where many passengers get off and on the train. When
selecting the survey time, besides considering the schedule of the train, passengers were
also given time to form their own judgments on their experience of the train journey, the
services and the facilities. Therefore, on the train from Beijing to Lhasa, the survey time
was selected to be after 7pm on the second day of the journey, when the train had passed
Xi Ning, the last major stop before the Qinghai-Tibet section between Golmud and Lhasa.
This ensured that a high proportion of passengers were destined for Lhasa. On the train
from Lhasa to Beijing, the survey time was chosen to be late in the afternoon of the first
day before Golmud and Xi Ning station where a large number of travelers from Tibet
would get off the train.
The train contains three types of seats: soft sleepers, hard sleepers and hard seats. The
questionnaire survey was conducted in the hard sleeper cars with a total capacity of 60
beds in each car. This means that respondents in the cheapest and most expensive seats
were not interviewed. The hard sleeper car is the major type of car on the train with 9
cars out of the total 16 cars of the train. There are significant price differences for
different car types. Therefore, differences in travelers’ demographic and socio-economic
characteristics are expected among travelers in different car types. Surveying passengers
in all three kinds of cars could introduce variations in travelers’ profiles and experiences
- 43 -
induced by ticket price and associated facilities, which could affect further analysis of the
data. Therefore, in this study, only passengers on hard sleeper cars, which are the major
type of cars on the train, were approached in the questionnaire survey, which controlled
for the differences in travelers’ profile induced by different ticket price in the sample.
Nevertheless, as will be seen, substantial diversity existed in the personal characteristics
of respondents.
To ensure the adequacy of data for statistical analysis and generalization of the research
findings, a cluster sampling technique was adopted. In such a scheme, the entire
population is divided into clusters; then a random sample of these clusters is selected and
all observations in the selected clusters are included in the sample.
In this study, the cars represent potential clusters. I started the questionnaire survey from
the car I was in, distributing questionnaires to every traveler who was available at the
time of distribution and willing to fill out the questionnaire survey. Then I continued with
adjacent cars in one direction until I collected enough questionnaires for my study. My
seat was randomly assigned at the time of purchasing the ticket, therefore, it could be
considered as a random start. Moreover, there is no specific seat arrangement in each car
and no difference in traveler profile should be expected from one car to another.
Therefore, passengers on the train could be considered as randomly distributed in each
car. Every available passenger in each car was approached for the questionnaire survey
until the intended number of questionnaires was collected.
In each car, I explained the purpose and requirements of the questionnaire survey and
distributed the questionnaires to every available traveler. Then I waited in the car in case
of questions on the contents of the questionnaire or any other questions. During that time,
I also chatted with some travelers about their ideas of Tibet and traveling to Tibet.
Questionnaires were collected about 20 minutes later when all respondents had finished
filling them in. Then I continued with the next car with the same procedure.
- 44 -
For each trip, four cars were visited in around 4 hours to distribute and collect
questionnaires. A total of 82 useable questionnaires were collected on the train from
Beijing to Lhasa and 105 useable questionnaires were collected on the train from Lhasa
to Beijing. The response rate was 35percent for the pre-visit sample and 44percent for the
post-visit sample. Those who did not participate in the questionnaire survey included
those who were not going to Lhasa, those who were not at their seats during the time of
the survey, those who were lying in their beds sleeping or relaxing, and those who were
not willing to participate in the questionnaire survey. There is no reason to believe that
travelers not participating in the questionnaire survey were substantially different from
those who completed the questionnaires.
Table 3.2.3: Train Schedule between Beijing and Lhasa
Station
Arrival Time
Departure Time
Distance (km)
Departure Station
23:49
08:36 +
15:06
18:14
05:23 ++
15:47
20:00
21:30
23:51
08:48
15:21
18:29
05:43
15:51
Arrival Station
277
1,200
1,876
2,092
2,922
3,742
4,064
T27: Beijing - Lhasa
Beijing West
Shijiazhuang
Xian
Lanzhou
Xining
Golmud
Nakchu
Lhasa
T28:Lhasa-Beijing
Lhasa
Departure Station
08:30
Nakchu
11:59
12:05
322
Golmud
22:05
22:25
1,142
Xining
09:14 +
09:29
1,972
Lanzhou
12:21
12:36
2,188
Xian
20:12
20:28
2,864
Shijiazhuang
05:13++
05:15
3,787
Beijing West
7:34
Arrival Station
4,064
'+': the second day, '++': the third day.
(Source: Travel China Guide, http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/tibet/train-totibet/train-schedule.htm)
- 45 -
3.4 Data Analysis
All close-ended questions were coded into SPSS. The majority of the questions were
answered using a 5-point Likert scale, which was coded as 1 for the lowest level of
expectation or satisfaction, 3 for the neutral point and 5 for the highest level of
expectation or satisfaction. Mean and standard deviation scores were calculated
Various statistical techniques in SPSS were used to explore and analyze the quantitative
data collected through the two sets of questionnaires from pre- and post-visit samples.
The most frequently used techniques were descriptive statistics to examine responses to
each question. Based on different types of variables, independent sample t-tests, Chisquare tests and one-way ANOVA tests were used in examining between-group
differences across variables between the pre- and post-visit samples. Besides SPSS, Excel
was used in recoding, managing and examining the qualitative data collected from the
open-ended questions in the questionnaires, and to assist in the identification of common
themes.
3.5 Limitations of Research Methods
3.5.1
Timing of the Research
It was originally intended that the research would be conducted during the Golden Week
Holiday between 1st and 7th of May 2007. However, train tickets were very difficult to get
during that time because of the high demand. Therefore, research on the train could only
be conducted starting from the 13th of May 2007, which is considered as the shoulder
season of Tibet tourism between the Golden Week Holiday and the summer holiday
period.
Differences in traveler profiles are to be expected between peak and non-peak seasons.
During peak seasons, a much larger number of travelers from more diversified
backgrounds both on the train and in Tibet are to be expected. Moreover, there are huge
differences in terms of the number of visitors and the price of travel products between
peak and non-peak seasons. Therefore, travelers in Tibet would have different destination
experiences, local service quality and travel expenses while traveling during peak and
- 46 -
non-peak seasons. Thus, their satisfaction levels and perceptions of the destination and
the train journey might also differ. Nevertheless, the present study can provide useful
insights into perceptions of both the journey and the destination.
3.5.2
Sample Selection
As described above, the questionnaire survey was conducted on the train between Beijing
and Lhasa, targeting only travelers who used the train to or from Lhasa. However,
travelers by air or bus may have different perceptions on the train journey and the
destination and different perspectives on Tibet tourism, which is not represented in this
study. Although travelers by air constitute a high percentage of travelers to Tibet
according to the official website of Tibet tourism, every day after the opening of the
railway about 2,000 travelers to Lhasa arrive by air and about 4,000 by train
(http://www.xizanglasa.cn/ShowNews.jsp). Thus, train travelers are now in the majority.
Second, travelers taking the train from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing or Chengdu to
Lhasa were excluded from this sample. It is possible that geographical origin might
induce differences in perceptions of the train journey and of Tibet as a destination;
travelers from these cities are not represented in this study.
Since the survey was undertaken on the train, it only targeted travelers who had already
overcome the barriers to making the trip to Tibet. Therefore, the motivational function of
push factors, which are the social-psychological factors influencing people’s travel
decision rather than their destination choice, may not be effectively reflected in the
results.
The majority of travelers were traveling for personal, probably pleasure, reasons in both
pre- and post-visit samples. As the sample size is relatively small, business travelers and
travelers visiting relatives and friends were not of sufficient number to be compared with
the major category of personal travelers. In fact, they constitute a small proportion of the
sample and, therefore, the sample was analyzed as a whole and no comparisons were
conducted among travelers with different purposes of travel on their perceptions of Tibet
tourism and the railway.
- 47 -
3.6 Chapter Summary
In summary, a self-administered questionnaire survey and personal observation were
used as the primary data collection techniques. The survey was used to collect data
amenable to quantitative analysis on tourists’ perceptions of the impacts of the QinghaiTibet train on their travel decisions and their experiences of Tibet as a tourism destination.
Personal observation provided qualitative information on the journey and destination
experience to complement the quantitative analysis based on the questionnaire surveys.
- 48 -
4. Findings
This chapter summarizes the findings of respondents’ perceptions of the train journey and the
destination of Tibet through quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data collected on the
train journeys in both directions between Beijing and Lhasa.
4.1 Method of Analysis
Data was obtained from the questionnaire survey conducted from 13th May to 22nd May
2007 on the train journeys in both directions between Beijing and Lhasa. As discussed in
Chapter Three, information was collected on the motivations, expectations and
satisfactions with the destination and the train journey, as well as respondents’
characteristics. The pre-visit sample size is 82 and the post-visit sample size is 105. A
number of statistical tests were performed to examine and evaluate and the data,
including descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, Chi-square tests and one-way
ANOVA tests.
The questionnaire results are reported in six sections. The first section presents the
demographic and social-economic profile of the respondents. In the second section, the travel
behavior pattern, including basic trip information, expenses and information sources are
reported. The third section explores the motivation for traveling to Tibet. This section
combines the pre- and post-visit samples into one data set. Then, differences between previsit expectations and post-visit satisfactions with the destination are examined in the fourth
section. The fifth section explores respondents’ perceptions and satisfactions with the train
journey, undertaking a comparison between the pre- and post-visit samples. The final section
reports a qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions on the post-visit questionnaires.
This section is concerned with respondents’ ideas and suggestions about Tibet tourism and
the train journey.
- 49 -
4.2 Characteristics of Respondents
The demographic and socio-economic characteristics of respondents in the pre-visit and postvisit samples are presented below. Between-sample differences will be examined and the
study sample as a whole will be compared with the data from the literature.
4.2.1 Demographic Characteristics
Summaries of the demographic characteristics of the pre- and post-visit samples and the
combined sample are reported in Table 6.4.1. There are more males (63%) than females
(37%) in pre-visit sample and this is also marginally the case in the post-visit sample.
However, the difference in gender representation between the pre- and post-visit samples is
not statistically significant (Chi-square =2.860, p =.091). The sample is widely dispersed in
terms of age groups. People aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 each constitute 25 percent of the total
sample suggesting that the majority of travelers were aged between 25 and 44. Only 3
percent of all respondents were above 65 years of age, which is substantially lower than other
age categories.
In terms of respondents’ places of origin, only 8 international travelers responded to the
survey and these were from the United States, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland
and Germany. The rest of the 179 respondents were Chinese. As shown in Table 6.4.1,
among the 160 respondents who provided detailed information on their place of origin, the
majority of the respondents (80%) were from northern China, with 30 percent from Beijing
and Tianjin; 18 percent from northwest provinces, 18 percent from central northern provinces
and 14 percent from northeast provinces. This supports Wang’s (2006) prediction that the
Qinghai-Tibet railway would provide more convenience and would be used most by people
from the northwest, northeast and central northern provinces (Wang, 2006). Only 20 percent
of respondents were from Southern China. The route from Beijing to Lhasa is not the priority
choice for people from the south who are more likely to take the train to Lhasa from
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu or Chongqing.
A comparison of the demographic characteristics of respondents in the pre- and post-visit
groups was also conducted (Table 4.2.1). No statistically significant between-group
- 50 -
differences were identified; therefore it is justifiable to combine the two samples into one
combined sample in analysis of respondents’ demographic characteristics.
Table 4.2.1: Demographic characteristics of pre- and post-visit samples
Demographics
Sample Size (n)
Gender (%)
Male
Female
Respondent Groups
Pre-visit Post-visit Total Sample Chi-square Sig. (2-sided)
82
105
189
2.860
.091
63
50
55.6
37
48
42.8
Age (%)
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
> 65
12
28
29
13
12
5
16
23
21
22
13
2
14
25
25
18
13
3
3
79
5
100
8
179
73
65
80
Place of Origin
No. of International
No. of Chinese
Distribution of Chinese (%)
China North
Beijing/Tianjin
Northwest
Northeast
North central
China South
4.2.2
22
29
10
21
18
31
8
14
12
18
5.381
.371
.309
.578
30
18
14
18
20
Socio-economic Characteristics
The socio-economic characteristics of the pre- and post-visit samples and the combined
sample are shown in Table 4.2.2, including education levels, monthly incomes and
employment. In terms of education, the majority (75%) of respondents has university or
higher education and 23 percent have high school education. This suggests that the travelers
are a very well-educated group. With respect to respondents’ monthly income, the category
of RMB 1,500 to 2,999 constitutes 40 percent of the sample, followed by the category of
below RMB 1,500 (25%) and the category of RMB 3,000 to 4,499 (23%). Wang’s (2006)
research based on a residents’ survey in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan
- 51 -
conducted in 2003 on Tibet tourism (Wang, 2006), showed that 40 percent were from the
category of RMB 2,000-3,999 and 30 percent were from RMB 1,000 to 1,999. The National
Bureau of Statistics of China reported that the 2006 average monthly salary in Chinese cities
was
RMB1,750
(NBSC,
http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjdt/zygg/sjxdtzgg/t20070323_402393903.htm) Therefore, it can be
concluded that, in line with their higher education, the sample in this study has an above
average income level.
Most respondents were employed either by a company or government or other institutions.
Almost half (49%) were found to be in these employment categories. Only 15 percent were
self-employed. Students (14 %) and retired people (13%) were of approximately the same
proportions, each constituting a substantial minority market among train travelers to Tibet.
Table 4.2.2: Socio-economic Characteristics of Pre- and Post-visit Samples
Sample Size (n)
Education (%)
Primary School
High School
University and above
Monthly Income (%)
< 1,500
1,500 – 2,999
3,000 – 4,499
4,500 – 6,000
> 6,000
Respondent Groups
Pre-visit Post-visit Total Sample Chi-square Sig. (2-sided)
82
105
189
6.252
.044*
0
2
1
30
16
23
70
79
75
20
44
24
6
6
Career (%)
Student
9
Employed
49
Teacher
4
Company Employee
37
Government Employee 9
Self-employed
16
Retired
17
Others
10
* Statistically significant at .05 level
30
36
22
5
5
25
40
23
5
5
18
50
14
49
9
25
16
14
10
6
6
30
13
15
13
7.5
- 52 -
2.911
.573
12.055
.061
4.2.3 Summary of Travelers’ Characteristics
Chi-square tests were used to examine the between-group differences of the two samples
(Table 4.2.1 and Table 4.2.2). The results showed no statistically significant difference
between pre- and post-visit groups in terms gender, age, place of origin, career and monthly
income. The only statistically significant difference (at the .05 level) between the samples
was for education with a Chi-square value of .044. Despite the between-sample difference
identified, high education level was noticed for both pre- and post- samples with higher than
70 percent respondents having university or above education. Therefore, overall, the
differences are small and, not surprisingly, people traveling in both directions had similar
characteristics.
Table 4.2.3: Comparison of Demographic and Social-economic Characteristics
Demographics
Sample Size (n)
Gender (%)
Male
Female
General Chinese*
Five Cities **
2296
My sample
189
47.2
52.8
75.5
24.5
57
43
Age (%)
18-24
25-44
45-64
> 65
11.1
36.6
38.6
6.7
11.3
49.1
39.5
0
14
50
31
3
Education (%)
Primary school
9.3
0
1
High school
56.8
55.8
23
University or above
34.0
44.2
75
* Data drawn from “2002 Chinese domestic tourism sampling survey report”. (《中国国
内旅游抽样调查资料》, 2002)
** Data drawn from the research done in April 2003, Tibet tourism after the opening of
the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (Wang, 2006)
In summary, the data suggest that train travelers to Tibet are from diverse age groups and
employment categories, with perhaps slightly more males than females, generally high
education levels and higher than average monthly incomes. This supports Wang’s (2006)
conclusion that tourists to Tibet are generally people with a high education level, high
- 53 -
income, high consumption level and comparatively good health. A comparison between the
sample of this study and general Chinese tourists as well as tourists to Tibet identified in the
five-city survey in Wang’s research (2006) is presented in Table 4.2.3. It illustrates the
similarity between the sample in this study and the sample from the five-city survey.
Therefore, this sample appears to be representative of travelers to Tibet.
Wang (2006) also pointed out that after the opening of the railway, the percentage of
travelers with a lower income might increase. However the general traveler profile will likely
remain the same because traveling to Tibet requires a long time and involves high expenses.
Also, the unique cultural and natural features of Tibet may be more attractive to experienced
tourists with a higher education level. Furthermore, the high altitude location of Tibet
requires good physical health.
Overall, the pre- and post-visit samples were similar in their demographic and socioeconomic features. Therefore, it would be reasonable to infer that any observed differences
between pre- and post-visit samples with respect to expectations, perceptions and
satisfactions with the train journey and the destination cannot be explained by these
demographic and socio-economic factors. In addition, when analyzing the common questions
in the pre- and post-visit questionnaires, it is justifiable to combine the two data sets into one.
4.3 Travel Behavior Pattern
Travel behaviour patterns of the respondents were investigated in the questionnaire survey in
order to examine whether there were differences between pre- and post-visit responses, and
between the study sample and general travelers in China. Basic trip information, trip
expenses and sources used to acquire travel information were examined. Both length of stay
and trip expenses were separated into expectations from the pre-visit sample and actual ones
from the post-visit sample.
Despite a statistically significant between-group difference (Chi-square= 9.973; p=.007)
at the .05 level, the high percentage of first-time visitors to Tibet among respondents was
consistent in both pre- and post-visit samples (pre-visit: 83%; post-visit: 95%). Therefore,
- 54 -
it could be concluded that the majority of respondents were traveling to Tibet for the first
time (82% for the overall sample), which shows that Tibet is still a new tourism
destination to most travelers. This finding is supported by Wang’s study showing that
very few people in China have been to Tibet, but the majority of them wish to go, which
indicates the potential market for Tibet tourism (Wang, 2006).
Table 4.3.1: Comparison of the Basic Trip Information between Pre- and Post-visit
Samples
First time to Tibet (%)
Purpose of travel (%)
Personal
FIT
Group
Business
Visiting friends/relatives
Pre-visit
Post-visit Total Sample Chi-square Sig. (2-sided)
83
95
90
81
84
82
85
15
15
5
Transportation the other way (%)
Train
68
Plane
27
Length of stay
Number
64
Mean
6.6
S.D.
4.946
* Statistically significant at .05 level
47
37
14
2
64
34
104
6.2
2.906
9.973
.007*
1.334
.513
3.588
.309
t-value
.593
Sig. (2-tailed)
.555
68
32
14
3
66
31
168
6.4
3.805
As shown in Table 4.3.1, no statistically significant differences were identified at the .05
level among other factors of the basic trip information examined; therefore the pre and
post-visit samples can be viewed as one. In terms of their purpose of travel, 82 percent
respondents went for personal reasons, 14 percent for business and only 3 percent to visit
friends and relatives. Thus, the great majority were on holiday. Among the category of
personal travel, the majority chose self-arranged travel (68%) instead of joining tour
groups offered by travel agencies (32%). For all respondents, the transportation choice
for the entire journey was predominantly by train (66%). The remainder traveled in one
direction by plane (31%).
- 55 -
Tourists to Tibet have a distinctive traveling pattern due to the characteristics of the
destination itself. One feature is that the length of stay is longer than in other tourism
destinations in China. According to sample data collected in 2003, the average length of
stay for tourists to Tibet was 7.8 days (Wang, 2006). In this study, the mean length of
stay in the overall sample is 6.4 days.
Table 4.3.2: Comparison of Expected and Actual Expenses
Pre-visit
Expected expense
82
2.07
.953
Post-visit
Actual expense
102
2.44
.981
Overall
sample
184
2.28
.983
Number
Mean
Std. Deviation
Between-group Diff.
t-score
-2.570
Sig. (2-tailed)
.011 *
Expenses RMB (%)
1 < 3500
33
19
24.6
2 3500-4999
35
35
34.8
3 5000-6500
23
29
26.2
4 >6500
9
17
12.8
* Statistically significant at .05 level
** Data from the survey done in April 2003, Tibet tourism after the opening of the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway (Wang, 2006)
Five
Cities**
2296
32.6
42.3
21.2
3.9
In terms of total trip expenses, as shown in Table 4.3.2, the expected expenses for the
pre-visit sample were lower than the actual expenses for the post-visit sample and the
difference was statistically significant (t=-2.570, p=.011). Therefore, tourists to Tibet
often spend more than they expect to spend. In terms of the actual amount of expenses,
according to 2003 sample data, the average total trip expenses were RMB 4,231 and the
daily expenses were RMB 542.5, which is 9 times the average trip expenses in other
destinations in China (Wang, 2006). In this study, 35 percent respondents spent between
3,500 to 5,000 in both pre- and post-visit samples, which was the most common expense
category indicated. Furthermore, as illustrated in Table 4.3.2, the distribution of expenses
in this study is similar to the data drawn from the five-city survey in 2003 (Wang, 2006).
Mass and traditional media, such as TV and newspapers and magazines, remain the most
important and widely used information sources for Tibet tourism. More than half (54%) of all
- 56 -
respondents used TV and 29 percent of respondents used newspapers and magazine to
acquire travel information on Tibet. Word-of-mouth referrals from friends and relatives were
used by a quarter (25%). The Internet is acquiring increasing importance as a media channel
for disseminating and accessing travel information with 24 percent of respondents using it to
collect information on Tibet. However, it is not yet as important as the traditional media
channels. Only 14 percent of respondents got Tibet travel information from travel agencies.
This suggests the low utility level of travel agencies as an information source, which might
be addressed in the future operation of travel agencies. The majority (52%) of respondents
consulted only one source of information prior to visiting Tibet; and about one third (34%) of
respondents consulted two sources of information.
Table 4.3.3: Information Sources for Tibet Tourism
Information sources
Friends & relatives
Newspaper & Magazine
TV
Travel agent
Internet
Pre-visit
Post-visit Total Sample z-value Sig. (2-tailed)
20 (24%)
24 (29%)
49 (60%)
12 (15%)
17 (21%)
26 (25 %)
31 (30%)
51 (49%)
15 (14%)
28 (27%)
46 (25%)
55 (29%)
100 (54%)
27 (14%)
45 (24%)
53
34
14
97 (52%)
63 (34%)
23 (10%)
No. of Information sources
One
44
Two
29
Three and more
9
* Statistically significant at .05 level
-.092
-.330
-2.019
-.067
-.741
.927
.742
.043*
.947
.459
-.246
.805
No significant differences were identified between the pre- and post-visit groups in the
sources of information used and the number of sources accessed, with the exception of
TV which was indicated more frequently (at the .05 level, p=.043) by the pre-visit sample.
4.4 Motivations for Traveling to Tibet
Respondents’ motivations for traveling to Tibet were measured by asking respondents to
rate the importance of a number of reasons for visiting Tibet on a 5-point Likert scale (1
being very unimportant; 5 being very important). As no statistically significant
differences were found between pre-visit and post-visit samples at the .05 level using
- 57 -
independent sample t-tests (Table 4.4.1), the two samples were combined into one in the
analysis of motivations as shown in Table 4.4.1.
Table 4.4.1: Comparisons of the Motivations of Pre- and Post-visit Respondents
Tibetan Culture
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Natural scenery
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Opening of the railway line Pre-visit
Post-visit
Novelty of Tibet
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Mysteriousness of Tibet
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Away from daily routine
Leaning experience
Personal satisfaction / selfesteem
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
N
82
104
82
104
82
104
82
104
82
104
82
103
82
104
82
104
Mean
4.10
4.27
4.45
4.43
4.02
3.84
3.91
3.89
4.22
4.05
2.84
2.66
3.17
3.30
2.96
2.97
S.D. t-value
.795 -1.351
.937
.723
.163
.822
.942 1.229
1.142
.971
.140
1.004
.889 1.191
1.074
1.181
1.063
1.116
1.086 -.782
1.122
1.105
-.045
1.258
Sig. (2-tailed)
.178
.870
.221
.889
.235
.289
.435
.964
In Table 4.4.2, as discussed in Chapter two, in the questionnaire the first five motivations
are examples of push factors; while the last three motivations are pull factors. The latter,
are mainly attributes of the destination. As indicated in Table 4.4.2, the five motivations
categorized as pull factors all received high ratings on importance, with “natural scenery”
ranked first with mean score of 4.44, indicating respondents’ desire to see the natural
attractions of Tibet. “Tibetan culture” received a mean score of 4.19, “mysteriousness of
Tibet” scored 4.12, “Opening of the railway line” scored 3.92 and “novelty of Tibet” was
ascribed 3.90 on a five-point Likert scale. Thus, all of these were important motivational
factors. In contrast, push factors, such as “away from the daily routine” (Mean = 2.74), “a
learning experience” (Mean = 3.24) and “personal satisfaction / self-esteem” (Mean =
2.97) were perceived to be much less important than the motivations categorized as pull
factors. This indicates that for Tibet, pull factors play a much more important role in
attracting tourists than push factors. However, the low significance of pull factors may be
attributed to the fact that the questionnaire survey was conducted on train travelers who
- 58 -
had already overcome the socio-psychological barriers and made the decision to travel to
Tibet. Thus, generalisability of the results might need further support, perhaps through
interviewing potential travelers prior to their decision to visit Tibet. However, this was
beyond the scope of this study.
Table 4.4.2: Analysis of Motivation of Traveling to Tibet
No. of respondents
Motivation
1*
2*
3*
4*
5*
Mean
Tibetan Culture a
5
1
24
79
77
4.19
Natural scenery a
4
0
9
70
103
4.44
Opening of the railway line a
6
18
22
79
61
3.92
Novelty of Tibet a
4
14
34
78
56
3.90
Mysteriousness of Tibet a
4
13
19
70
80
4.12
Away from daily routine b
20
73
45
29
18
2.74
Learning experience b
9
46
45
63
23
3.24
Personal satisfaction / self-esteem b 18
57
47
41
23
2.97
* 1: very unimportant; 2: unimportant; 3: neutral; 4: important; 5: very important
a
Pull factors
b
Push factors
S.D.
.879
.778
1.060
.987
.998
1.146
1.106
1.190
Independent Sample T-tests and One-way ANOVA tests were conducted to examine the
between-group differences in motivations for traveling to Tibet among travelers with
different demographic and socio-economic characteristics, such as education, monthly
income, gender, age and origin. These attributes are commonly considered in the
literature as factors influencing travel motivations. As people with only primary
education constituted just 1 percent of the overall sample, this category was excluded
from the examination of education. Therefore, differences between people with different
education levels were only examined tested between those with high school education
and those with university or above education. As shown in Table 4.4.3.1, no statistically
significant differences at the .05 level were identified in respondents’ motivations to visit
Tibet among travelers from different demographic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Therefore, travelers to Tibet from different demographic and socio-economic
backgrounds are generally similarly motivated in making the decision to travel to Tibet.
- 59 -
Respondents’ perceptions of barriers of traveling to Tibet were measured by asking
respondents to rate the importance of a number of barriers on a 5-point Likert scale (1
being very unimportant; 5 being very important). As no statistically significant difference
at .05 level was found between pre-visit and post-visit samples using independent sample
t-tests, the two samples were combined in the analysis as shown in Table 4.4.3.2.
Table 4.4.3.1: Motivation of Traveling to Tibet among Travelers with Different
Demographic and Socio-economic Backgrounds
Tibetan Culture
Natural scenery
Opening of the railway
line
Novelty of Tibet
Mysteriousness of
Tibet
Away from daily
routine
Leaning experience
Personal satisfaction /
self-esteem
Gender
t
Sig.
-.648
.519
-1.100 .275
Education
t
Sig.
.968 .334
-.056 .956
Income
Age
Origin
F
Sig. F
Sig. F
Sig.
.548 .700 1.217 .303 1.788 .118
.355 .841 1.850 .106
1.666 .146
1.851
.068
.061
.951
.838
.503
1.585
.166
.341
.888
-.850
.398
.966
.335
.573
.683
1.206
.308
1.106
.359
-.602
.549
.976
.331
.653
.626
.477
.793
.827
.533
.867
.389
.256
.798
.926
.450
.811
.543
1.668
.145
-.228
.821
-.015 .988
.382
.821
.510
.769
.416
.837
-1.902
.061
-.334 .739
.251
.909
.970
.438
.616
.687
Since the data were collected from travelers to Tibet who had already overcome the
barriers to travel, it should not be surprising that none of the barriers were rated as
particularly important. Mean scores clustered around the midpoint of 3 as shown in Table
4.4.3.3. However the relative importance of the barriers might be representative and
indicative of those faced by the general population. Transportation or accessibility
received the lowest mean score of 2.84, which indicates the increased accessibility after
the opening of the railway line. Health issues (mean = 3.56) was the factor of most
concern among tourists to Tibet.
The results indicate, at least for respondents, that with the new train service to Tibet,
accessibility was no longer considered as the major restriction on Tibet tourism. Thus,
improved accessibility is a major contribution of the Qinghai-Tibet railway. Now, with
- 60 -
accessibility solved for the train travelers, health concerns due to the high altitude
geographical location of Tibet seems to be the top restriction or barrier for travelers to
Tibet. If more information could be provided on the typical symptoms and measures to
deal with the high altitude sickness, travelers might have higher confidence to visit Tibet.
Table 4.4.3.2: Comparison of Pre- and Post-visit Groups’ Assessments of Barriers
N
Distance
Duration
Harsh environment
Transportation/Accessibility
Traveling cost
Health concern
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Pre-visit
Post-visit
80
103
80
103
80
103
80
103
80
103
80
103
Mean
3.13
3.03
3.13
3.10
3.20
3.20
2.76
2.89
3.25
3.17
3.49
3.61
S.D.
.998
1.167
.960
1.133
.986
1.123
1.034
1.038
1.000
1.004
1.125
1.069
t-value Sig. (2-tailed)
.598
.550
.180
.857
-.025
.980
-.847
.398
.504
.615
-.757
.450
Table 4.4.3.3: Analysis of the Importance of Barriers of Traveling to Tibet
Barriers
N
Valid
Missing
Mean
S. D.
Importance 1
2
3
4
5
Harsh
Transportation
Distance Duration environment / Accessibility
183
183
183
183
4
4
4
4
3.07
3.11
3.20
2.84
1.095
1.058
1.063
1.035
8
6
5
9
64
60
54
79
33
40
42
37
63
62
63
49
15
15
19
9
High
cost
183
4
3.21
1.000
7
41
56
65
14
Health
concern
183
4
3.56
1.092
8
26
41
72
36
4.5 Expectation and Satisfaction
Expectations and satisfactions were explored for six travel components: nature, culture,
accommodation, food, activities and expenses. The mean differences for pre-visit
expectations and post-visit satisfactions with the destination were examined using
Independent Sample T-tests as shown in Table 4.5.1. No statistically significant
- 61 -
differences at the .05 level were found between expectations and satisfactions for the
attributes of nature, culture and food. On a five-point Likert scale, the expectations for
nature (mean= 4.43) and culture (mean= 4.00) at the destination were both extremely
high, and the satisfaction scores for nature (mean= 4.37) and culture (mean= 4.01) show
that the high expectations were actually met by the destination with its unique natural and
cultural attractions.
For the destination attributes of accommodation, food, activities and expenses, with their
prior trip information of the destination, travelers’ expectation mean scores were around
the midpoint of 3, which stands for average (Table 4.5.1). However, statistically
significant differences were identified for accommodation, activities and expenses
between the pre-visit expectations and post-visit satisfactions (Table 4.5.1). Activities
and expenses had lower scores for satisfaction than expectations, whereas
accommodation exceeded expectations. The satisfaction level of the post-visit group on
accommodation (mean= 3.48) was slightly higher than the expectation score (mean=
3.23). However the satisfaction level with activities (mean=3.23) and expenses (mean=
2.87) were lower than the expectation level, likely indicating room for further
improvement in these areas.
Table 4.5.1: Mean Differences between Pre-visit Expectation and Post-visit Satisfaction
of Destination Experience in Tibet
Pre-visit
Post-visit
Expectation (n=82) Satisfaction (n=105)
Mean
a
b
S.D.
Mean
S.D.
Diff.
t-value
Mean
Nature
4.43
.667
4.37
.697
.055
.552
Culture
4.00
.846
4.01
.935
-.010
-.073
Accommodation
3.23
.708
3.48
.761
-.244
-2.268
Food
3.16
.693
3.10
.883
.063
.549
Activities
3.55
.740
3.23
.869
.320
2.720
Expenses
3.23
.742
2.87
.721
.365
3.379
a
Expectation scale: 1 = very low; 2 = low; 3 = average; 4 = high; 5 = very high.
b
Satisfaction scale: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = average; 4 = good; 5 = very good
* Statistically significant at .05 level
- 62 -
Sig. (2-tailed)
.581
.942
.025 *
.584
.007 *
.001 *
4.6
Respondents’ Perceptions of the Train Journey
Respondents perception of the train journey were explored in the questionnaire survey,
by asking for their reasons for choosing train as their mode of transportation to Tibet and
assessing their satisfaction with the train journey. Again, a number of statements were
provided and evaluations were elicited using 5-point Likert scales.
4.6.1 Reasons for Choosing the Train
As shown in Table 4.6.1, the view from the train (mean= 4.17) was the most important
attraction of the train journey. This indicates clearly that the train journey was an
important reason for taking the train and was expected to be a positive part of the travel
experience. This was followed by the indication that going by train could help travelers
better adapt to the high altitude and reduce the physical discomfort of altitude sickness in
Tibet (mean= 3.99). Safety, low price and relaxation were also scored quite high. Perhaps
surprisingly as a new and somewhat unusual travel experience, novelty received the
lowest score among the reasons offered to respondents for choosing to travel by train.
Table 4.6.1: Reason for Choosing the Train Journey to Tibet
Novelty Low Price
Safety
View
Adaptation Relaxation
N
Valid
184
184
184
184
184
184
Missing
3
3
3
3
3
3
Mean
2.56
3.34
3.65
4.17
3.99
3.13
S. D.
1.222
1.043
1.035
.838
.952
1.194
Importance* 1
40
3
5
2
2
13
2
63
47
23
8
15
54
3
31
42
43
15
27
40
4
38
69
74
90
79
50
5
12
23
39
69
61
27
* Importance scale: 1 = very unimportant; 2 = unimportant; 3 = neutral; 4 = important;
5 = very important
4.6.2 Satisfaction with the Train Journey
Satisfaction with the train journey was evaluated by asking respondents to rate their
satisfaction with the duration, schedule, service, facilities, view and expenses of the train
- 63 -
journey on a 5-point Likert scale. A summary of the satisfaction scores for the combined
sample is presented in Table 4.6.2.1.
Table 4.6.2.1: Satisfaction with the Train Journey of the Overall Sample
Duration Schedule Service
Facility
View
Expenses
184
184
184
184
184
184
3
3
3
3
3
3
Mean
2.98
3.62
3.58
3.72
4.07
3.32
S. D.
.923
.766
.826
.728
.736
.829
Importance 1
6
0
3
0
1
3
2
54
15
16
14
4
22
3
70
57
51
39
26
85
4
46
95
99
115
104
62
5
8
17
15
16
49
12
* Importance scale: 1 = very unimportant; 2 = unimportant; 3 = neutral; 4 = important; 5
= very important
N
Valid
Missing
Table 4.6.2.2: Comparison of Pre- and Post-visit Satisfactions with the Train Journey
N
Pre-visit
82
Post-visit
102
Schedule
Pre-visit
82
Post-visit
102
Service
Pre-visit
82
Post-visit
102
Facility
Pre-visit
82
Post-visit
102
View
Pre-visit
82
Post-visit
102
Expenses Pre-visit
82
Post-visit
102
* Statistically significant at .05 level
Duration
Mean
3.16
2.83
3.48
3.74
3.35
3.76
3.55
3.86
3.87
4.23
3.32
3.31
S.D.
.838
.966
.773
.744
.908
.706
.788
.645
.766
.673
.844
.820
t-value
Sig. (2-tailed)
2.443
.016*
-2.303
.022*
-3.363
.001*
-2.908
.004*
-3.339
.001*
.027
.978
In terms of the reasons for choosing to travel by train, respondents’ satisfaction levels
were generally positive with mean scores between 3 and 4 as follows: schedule
(mean=3.62), service (mean=3.58), the facility (mean=3.72) and the price (mean=3.32).
Most respondents were not satisfied with the duration of the train journey (Mean=2.98)
- 64 -
although it is inevitable that the journey by train is a long one. The view from the train
received the highest mean score at 4.17.
Table 4.6.2.2 compares the satisfaction scores of the pre- and post-visit travelers for the
train journey. Statistically significant differences were found for duration, schedule,
service, facility and view, but not for expenses. The higher satisfaction level (mean= 4.23)
on the views from the train received on the return journey compared with the pre-visit
one (Mean= 3.87) might have been due to the fact that the most impressive views of the
Tibetan plateau were seen at the start of the return journey. On the other hand, on the
journey from Beijing to Lhasa, the most attractive views were seen at the end of the
journey, after some respondents had completed their questionnaires. With the exception
of the duration of the journey, which was scored lower by post-visit travelers, mean
scores were higher for schedule, service and facility on the return journey. As a traveler
in both directions, I experienced differences in the services on the train between the two
journeys. The atmosphere on the return journey was more relaxed because the train staffs
were more easygoing and willing to chat with passengers. Although the facilities were
basically the same, higher service level may have also increased the satisfaction with the
facilities and the schedule.
4.6.3
Importance of the Train Journey
Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the seven and eight
statements on the train journey presented in the pre- and post-visit questionnaires
respectively. No statistically significant differences were identified between the pre- and
post-visit samples using Independent Sample T-tests (Table 4.6.3); therefore the pre- and
post-visit samples were combined into one in the analysis of the importance of the train
journey.
Among the sample of 187 respondents, the majority of respondents (N=142) agree or
strongly agree that the train journey is an important part of the overall travel experience
and are generally satisfied with the train journey (N=143). Compared with other modes of
transportation, 149 respondents agree or strongly agree that train is preferable to the bus
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when traveling to Tibet, while 106 respondents prefer the train over air travel. More than
half (52%) of respondents agree or strongly agree that if there was no train, they would
not have visited Tibet. This indicates the great importance of the train to Tibet tourism.
However, as the questionnaire survey was distributed only to passengers on the train, it is
not possible to apply this statistic to the broad market for travel to Tibet. All respondents
had actually chosen the train as their means of transportation to or from Tibet, already
indicating their preference for train travel over other modes of transportation.
Table 4.6.3: Importance of the Train Journey
1*
2*
3*
4*
5*
t-score Sig. (2-tailed)
The train journey is comfortable.
2
5
60
98
19
-1.556
.121
I do not feel bored during the train
5
35
50
81
13
-1.359
.176
journey
I am satisfied with the train journey in
2
3
36
128
15
-.762
.447
general.
I prefer train over air as the mode of
6
22
49
84
22
1.452
.148
transportation to Tibet.
I prefer train over bus as the mode of
3
9
22
105
44
.567
.571
transportation to Tibet.
The train journey is an important part
2
7
32
108
34
.184
.854
of my travel experience to Tibet.
The train journey experience is
7
17
20
46
12
equally important as the destination
experience in Tibet. **
If there were no train, I would not visit
13
38
34
76
22
.798
.426
Tibet.
* 1: strongly disagree; 2: disagree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: agree; 5: strongly agree
** The question only for the return journey from Lhasa to Beijing
When comparing the train journey with the destination experience in Tibet, 58 out of 105
(55%) respondents agree or strongly agree that the train journey is equally important as
the destination experience in Tibet. However, when rating the best part of the whole trip,
among 102 valid answers, 87 respondents (85%) considered the destination experience as
the best part, and 15 (15%) voted for the train journey. Therefore, it can be inferred that
when traveling to Tibet, the train journey is without doubt an important part in the overall
travel experience; nonetheless, the destination, as the objective of the journey, is most
important to tourists. Therefore, although the Qinghai-Tibet train has better facilities than
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other trains in China and a route designed for tourism, the quality of the destination is
still vital to its success.
4.7 Suggestions for Enhancing Tibet Tourism and the Train Journey
Suggestions concerning the train journey, tourism development and the tourism products
of Tibet were solicited in an open-question format in the post-visit questionnaire. This
was done in order to better understand respondents’ travel experiences in Tibet, the
problems that they encountered and their ideas for improvement of their vacation
experience, both en route and at the destination. Among 105 respondents, the number of
answers acquired and the response rate for each question are shown in Table 4.7.1.
Table 4.7.1 Number of Suggestions Collected in the Post-visit Questionnaire
Suggestions to:
The train journey to Tibet
Tourism development of Tibet
Tibet tourism products
Others
4.7.1
No. of answers
Responding rate
38
34
26
25
36%
32%
25%
24%
Suggestions Concerning the Train Journey
With respect to suggestions concerning the train journey, 19 out of 38 answers pointed
out that the duration of the train journey was too long. However, there are limitations to
what can be done about this. Another 5 suggested that there should be more programs or
activities for passengers on the train, such as more on-board broadcasting introducing the
landscapes along the railway line, or more sightseeing stops for passengers to take a
break and enjoy the views. These appear to be feasible suggestions. It is evident that
sometimes some passengers felt bored during the journey. To the statement “I do not feel
bored during the train journey”, only 17 disagreed and 4 strongly disagreed with the
statement, which in total constituted only 21 percent of all respondents.
My observations during the train journey focused on how travelers spend their time on
board. I noticed that during the day, most passengers spent their time chatting with fellow
travelers, enjoying the views along the railway line, and sleeping or relaxing in beds.
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Despite the fact that the views in the Qinghai-Tibet section are unique and impressive and
the train schedule is designed to permit viewing this section during daylight hours, the 15
hours journey between Golmud and Lhasa is only about half the total daytime for the
whole train journey. Therefore, the long hours on the train without much to do are the
major issue that bothers passengers during the train journey.
In spite of the above issue, the train journey was generally considered to be good with 7
respondents expressing their satisfaction with the train journey in the open-ended
question. Other minor issues include the difficulty in getting the train tickets (2
respondents), the need for a non-smoking car (2 respondents); and 1 respondent was
concerned about the safety of passengers’ belongings.
4.7.2
Suggestions for Tourism Development in Tibet
For the development of Tibet tourism, 10 out of 34 respondents suggested standardizing
the management and operation of the tourism market. This was also mentioned by 9
respondents in their suggestions based on their unpleasant experience at the destination.
The issues were begging, overcharging, and pushy or deceptive selling. Regulating the
prices of service providers and the preservation of the environment and local culture were
also each mentioned by 7 respondents.
As an observer, I also noticed that the tourism market was not well regulated and it was
not easy to find a reliable tour operator offering value-for-money products. For example,
the price for a 2-day local tour to Nyingchi quoted by different tour operators varied from
RMB 250 to 550 (roughly CAD $35 to 80) without major differences in the actual
product, which was confusing and unpleasant to tourists. Car rental services were often
recommended by word-of-mouth referrals instead of through more usual information or
advertising platforms, indicating the lack of trust in advertising by travelers to Tibet.
A better route or tour program design was raised by 3 respondents. They felt that this is
important because many of the interesting places are far apart as shown in Figure 4.7.2.
As a result, the time spent en route was much longer than the time available at the
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destinations. Furthermore, improving the professionalism of tour guides, the
transportation in the city of Lhasa, and putting more emphasis on local characteristics
were each raised as being important by 2 respondents. Although there is room for
improvement, the promising future of Tibet tourism was pointed out by 4 respondents.
4.7.3 Suggestions Concerning Tourism Products in Tibet
When commenting on the tourism products in Tibet, the major concern is the high price
with 13 out of 26 respondents raising this point. Developing tourism products with
Tibetan characteristics and improving the quality and the diversity of tourism products
were also each suggested by 3 respondents.
4.7.4
Suggestions Specifically from International Travelers
All of the eight international travelers to Tibet surveyed in this study pointed out the
problem of getting a permit to visit Tibet. They suggested that the application procedure
should be simplified and the expenses should be reduced. Acquiring a permit is a barrier
for international tourists who wish to travel to Tibet. Even for those who had already
overcome this barrier, it was considered to be an important issue to be raised. In addition,
higher quality of English-speaking tour guide, the provision of travel information in
English during the train journey and at the destination, and fewer restrictions on
international tourists were desired.
4.8 Chapter Summary
This chapter presented the major results of qualitative and quantitative analyses of
information derived from the questionnaire survey administered on the train and the
researcher’s observations both on the train and at the destination of Tibet.
The demographic and socio-economic profile of the respondents, their travel behaviour
pattern, and their motivations for traveling to Tibet were examined by combining the preand post-visit samples into one because no statistically significant between-group difference
were identified for these variables. The differences between expectations and satisfactions
with the destination, the respondents’ perceptions of and satisfaction with the train journey
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were compared between pre-visit and post-visit samples. Respondents’ suggestions regarding
the train journey, and the tourism development and tourism products of Tibet were analyzed
using the responses to open-ended questions and summarized in combination with the
researcher’s observation in the field.
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Figure 4.7.2 Tourism Spots Map of Tibet
(Source: http://www.accesstibettour.com/tibet-map.html)
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5. Discussion:
This chapter discusses the practical and academic implications of the research. Practical
implications of this study are discussed in terms of the train journey, destination development
of Tibet and the marketing of Tibet tourism. Academic implications include the comparison
of this study with previous literature on Tibet tourism, the application of the proposed
destination choice framework and the relative importance of the train journey to the
destination.
5.1 Practical Implications
5.1.1
The Train Journey
Results of the study show that the view along the railway was the most important
attraction of the train journey to Tibet, followed by the fact that going by train could help
travelers better adapt to the high altitude situation and alleviate the physical discomfort of
altitude sickness in Tibet.
Travelers surveyed in this study consistently had high satisfaction with the view along the
railway and were generally satisfied with the schedule, facilities, services and expenses of
the train journey, indicating that the train journey to Tibet meets traveler’ general needs
and requirements.
Lower satisfaction with the duration of the train journey, the indication of feeling bored
during the train journey identified in the study, consistent with respondents’ suggestions
on improving the train journey, show that the long hours spent en route are the most
important issue to be addressed in terms of the train service to Tibet.
The train in service on the Qinghai-Tibet railway is the most advanced in China.
According to Zhang Shuguang, director of the Transportation Bureau with China's
Ministry of Railways, the Beijing-Lhasa train runs at a speed of 160 km per hour on the
plain but, restricted by the high altitude geographical condition, it slows down to 120 km
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per hour when it reaches the Qinghai-Tibet section (People’s Daily, 2005.12.12). The
possibility to shorten the duration of the overall train journey is limited technically.
Therefore, it is important to develop more activities or programs for train travelers so that
they can have several alternatives to spend their time on the train instead of feeling bored.
Onboard broadcasting introducing cities, sightseeing spots and landscape along the
railway line is considered to be potentially important by travelers on the train. Also, a
detailed route guide could be developed, explaining physical (such as geology) and
cultural (such as architecture, land use and settlement patterns) en route so that travelers
can follow these if they wish. In addition, more sightseeing stops along the railway,
especially in the Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway between Golmud and Lhasa, could
be developed, allowing tourists to take a break during the long journey and enjoy the
unique landscape of the Tibetan Plateau.
5.1.2 Destination Development of Tibet
Implications of this study to destination development of Tibet are discussed in the following
areas: standardization of the tourism market; development of tourism facilities and
infrastructure; local tour design and operation; characteristic Tibetan tourism products and
alleviation of restrictions on international travelers.
5.1.2.1 Standardization of the Tourism Supply
Travelers’ satisfaction with destination attributes such as accommodation, food, activities
and expenses were around the average level despite cautious expectations based on prior
trip information on the destination. Most travelers understand that the development of
basic tourism facilities is just at an early stage and has been restricted by the remote
geographical location and economic situation in Tibet. Further improvements are needed
in order to provide a better travel destination environment for visitors.
Standardization and regulation of the management and operation of the tourism market
were suggested by respondents in this study as important in Tibet tourism development.
The unpleasant experience raised by respondents at the destination, such as begging,
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overcharging, and pushy or deceptive selling, indicates that the tourism market in Tibet is
still not well regulated or managed, and there are many areas in tourism operation and
supervision that could be better developed. Standardization of the tourism market
includes regulating the price of tourism products and services, maintaining a safe, reliable
and friendly travel environment for travelers, and providing a reliable and convenient
travel information distribution platform. As pointed out in Report on Tibet Tourism
Development (People’s Daily, 2006.12.12), local laws and regulations should be released
to enhance the management of the tourism industry and to ensure a healthy development
of Tibet tourism.
5.2.2.2
Development of Tourism Facilities and Infrastructure
Major tourism facilities evaluated in this study include accommodation and transportation.
Accommodation used to be the weak point of Tibet tourism, but recent development has
improved the capacity of accommodations, which is now capable of meeting up the needs
of travelers in terms of number of rooms. However, because of the new status in
development and the lack of management experience and expertise, the service and
management standard lags the improved status of the facilities (Xinhua, 2007.4.5).
Report on Tibet Tourism Development (People Daily, 2006.12.12) pointed out that
bringing in and training hotel management expertise has become an urgent and important
issue in accordance with the fast development of Tibet tourism (People Daily,
2006.12.12).
This study shows that travelers’ expectation of accommodation in Tibet was around the
mid-point on the Likert scale based on their pre-trip information. Although the
satisfaction with accommodation was still around this level, it is slightly above the
expectation level, which may reflect the improvements in the current status of
accommodation.
Besides the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway and increased train services from major
cities of China to Lhasa, there are 11 flight routes from Lhasa airport, several major roads
connecting Tibet with the neighboring provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan, and
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even neighboring countries. According to the Report on Tibet Tourism Development
(People’s Daily, 2006.12.12), Tibet is no longer isolated but well-connected by various
transportation means. This is supported by the findings of this study in that the majority
of respondents did not consider transportation as a barrier for traveling to Tibet.
However, the need for improvement of local transportation in the city of Lhasa was
identified in this study and it is an issue identified by the government of Lhasa.
According to Xinhua news, continuing to increase the local transportation resources and
capability is already listed in the government plan (Xinhua, 2007.4.5).
In addition, Tibetan food has distinctive features resulting from both the ethnic culture
and the high altitude natural environment, which is attractive to travelers. Characteristic
Tibetan food such as Zanba (roasted highland barley flour), buttered tea and sweet tea are
the daily food for Tibetan people.
Food is considered as part of the Chinese culture, and tasting characteristic and authentic
local foods is one of the attractions for most travelers. However, the authentic Tibetan
food was seldom promoted as a tourism attraction. As noticed by the researcher, the
number of restaurants offering Chinese food from elsewhere surpasses the number of
Tibetan restaurants in Lhasa. Meanwhile, there are many local tea houses along the street
in Lhasa, usually comfortably decorated in traditional Tibetan style, offering traditional
buttered tea and sweet tea. Having tea together with family or friends at the tea house in
the afternoon is considered as a custom by local Tibetan residents. Traditional Tibetan
food is also considered as being helpful for people to adapt to the high altitude
environment. Therefore, the potential of promoting Tibetan food and beverages could be
another opportunity in terms of tourism development. Tibetan food and beverages, if
better presented or packaged, could be promoted and developed as one of the tourism
attractions and feature products of Tibet.
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5.2.2.3
Local Tour Design and Operation
One character of Tibet tourism is that tourism attractions are widely dispersed and the
road condition is restricted by the high altitude geographical location. Better tour route
design was identified as important to maximize the effectiveness of time spent en route.
The researcher also noticed the lack of diversity in the tourism supply, as most tour
programs offered by different travel agents are almost identical in the market.
Three areas are identified as the major directions proposed for developing Tibet tourism
programs in Report on Tibet Tourism Development (People’s Daily, 2006.12.12) and the
article of Lhasa is now becoming the most attractive city in Western China (Xinhua,
2006.3.8). The first is developing cultural tourism programs in Tibet with the Buddhist
temples, monuments and other architecture; the second focuses on the unique natural
high altitude landscape in the Tibetan Plateau; and the third is developing ethnic tourism
programs emphasizing representative Tibetan ethnic traditions in the areas of the life
style, food, artifacts, singing and dancing. These proposed directions for Tibet tourism
development were supported by the findings of this study, illustrating the requirements of
travelers for tourism programs or activities infused with Tibetan cultural and ethnic
characteristics, time efficiency gains from better route design, and at a reasonable price.
Furthermore, improving the professionalism of tour guides was identified by this study as
another area to improve service quality in the tourism sector: respondents expressed
concern at the huge variation in the quality of local tour guides and, also, the need for
urgent improvements was stressed by Mr. Luosang, delegate of National People’s
Congress from Lhasa (Xinhua, 2007.3.3).
5.2.2.4
Characteristic Tibetan Tourism Products
Tibetan artifacts, jewelry and ornaments, and medicine have distinctive local characteristics
and artistic value. Thus they are popular among travelers to Tibet. Travelers to Tibet usually
would like to purchase some to bring back either as gifts or in memory of the trip. Therefore
there is a huge potential market to be developed for local products. The street around
Jokhang Temple is developed as the major tourism market in the city of Lhasa, where there
are many stores and booths selling a wide diversity of goods. However the quality and price
of goods sold vary widely. When commenting on the tourism products in Tibet, the major
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concern of travelers is the price. Without proper knowledge of the quality and the value of
local products, it is difficult for travelers to judge the price of the goods being sold. In this
context, regulation and management to ensure the reliability of local sellers becomes more
important.
Based on the findings, suggestions for local government are provided. First, information
on the price range and tips for judging the quality of the unique products of Tibet could
be provided for travelers. It would be important to set up, operate and advertise an
effective evaluation system and a fair mechanism of reward and punishment for tourism
stores or sellers, giving credits or certificates to stores or sellers selling characteristic
products with good quality at reasonable price. Reliable retailing stores satisfying the
evaluation criteria could also be supported by the government in tourism advertising as
model stores. The selling success of those model stores could encourage and attract other
stores to follow the evaluation system. Examples could be taken from Hong Kong, where
a high quality symbol is given to stores meeting the standards set by the tourism board of
Hong Kong. The evaluation and system and the high quality symbol are advertised so
that tourists to Hong Kong know that they can shop with confidence at stores with that
symbol. Besides the improvement in the reliability of local products and stores,
developing tourism products with distinctive Tibetan characteristics and an increase in
the diversity of the available tourism products also require attention.
5.2.2.5
Alleviate Restrictions on International Travelers
All international travelers to Tibet surveyed in this study pointed out the problem of getting a
permit to travel to Tibet, including the complicated application procedures, the time required
and the application fee. Although the respondents are those who had already overcome the
difficulty, they all considered it as an important issue to be raised, which indicates that
getting the permit is a substantial barrier for international tourists desiring to travel to Tibet.
Also as stated in the Report on Tibet Tourism Development (People’s Daily, 2006.12.12),
there are three major barriers to international travel to Tibet: transportation, procedures to get
into Tibet, and the overemphasis on the harsh natural environment in Tibet in the media.
Both Report on Tibet Tourism Development (People Daily, 2006.12.12) and the international
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travelers surveyed suggested that the application procedure should be simplified, the time
required be shortened and the expenses be reduced. In addition, the advertisement of Tibet
tourism should provide a broad view of Tibet.
More is still needed in order to alleviate the language barrier for international travelers in
Tibet. Measures should be taken in improving the quality of English-speaking tour guides,
and providing English travel information during the train journey and at the destination.
5.1.3 Tourism Marketing of Tibet
This study collected the basic information on actual train travelers, their travel behaviour
pattern, and their perceptions of Tibet tourism. Therefore, implications and suggestions are
derived for Tibet tourism marketing based on that.
As argued by Wang (2006), traveling to Tibet generally requires longer time and higher
expenses than other destinations; and the unique cultural and natural features of Tibet are
more attractive to experienced tourists with a higher education level; furthermore, the high
altitude geographical location of Tibet requires good physical health. By studying the actual
train travelers to Tibet, a picture of those travelers was presented. In terms of the
demographics and socio-economic characteristics, this study suggests tourists to Tibet are
from a diversified age group with more males than females. Major career categories include
employees of companies, government or other institutions, self-employed, students and
retired people. High education level and higher than average monthly income was identified
among tourists to Tibet as well.
TV was identified as the most important information source for Tibet tourism with more than
half respondents using it. Newspapers and magazines and word of mouth referrals are still
considered important information sources by travelers to Tibet. Internet is an important
source of information, though not surpassing the traditional ones. However, with the
increasing use of internet, internet should become more important as an information channel
for potential tourists to Tibet from a higher education level.
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As discussed in Chapter four, a small percentage of respondents were getting travel
information from travel agencies. The low utility level of travel agencies as an information
source may due to the fact that the majority of travelers prefer self-arranged travel with more
flexibility and self control instead of joining tour groups. As pointed out by Wall (2006, p32),
newly emerging tourists are more experienced and discerning travel product purchasers,
seeking new experiences; being more independent, and, as such, they need more control of
their travel decisions and require more individuality and specialization, and less rigidity in
travel products. Travelers to Tibet could be considered as newly emerging tourists in this
sense. Therefore, improvements are needed in the future operation of travel agencies to
provide more informative and reliable services and more diversified, flexible and customized
travel products to satisfy tourists’ more sophisticated and individualized needs for travel. In
addition, the active distribution of information on travel products and their promotion to
potential travelers through effective media channels should also be emphasized.
As illustrated in Chapter four, the majority of travelers were dependent on only one source of
information. Therefore it is crucial to identify effective information distribution platforms for
the distribution of travel information to potential travelers.
Based on the information of the profile of actual travelers to Tibet and their behavior pattern,
suggestions on marketing channel selection are generated. In terms of media channel
selection, TV should be the first choice as the major mass media channel target almost
everyone, with a wide range in age, career and location. In addition, more media support in
popular or travel newspapers and magazines should be designed along with TV
advertisement. Moreover, internet with its wide accessibility and convenience should be paid
attention to as a booming information platform preferable to audiences with a higher
education level and relatively younger age groups, which coincide with the travelers’ profile
to Tibet.
The study indicates that for train travelers to Tibet, pull factors are the major travel
motivating factors. The natural and cultural attractions were identified as the core
motivations for train travelers to Tibet. As a relatively new destination compared with
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many destinations in China and all over the world, Tibet is still considered as mysterious,
which is another important motivation to travelers seeking new experiences. Opening of
the new railway line is also important. Therefore, based on the major motivations of train
travelers to Tibet identified in this study, the design and content of the marketing
materials promoting the train journey and Tibet should emphasize the natural and cultural
attractions at the destination, and the mysteriousness and novelty of experience travelers
might get during the train journey as well as at the destination.
5.2 Academic Implications
5.2.1 Comparison with the Literature
The major research on Tibet tourism development after the opening of The Qinghai-Tibet
railway identified was Wang’s research in 2006 titled Tibet tourism after the opening of the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which provides a conceptual reference for Tibet tourism
development. Specifically targeting train travelers to Tibet, findings of this study were
consistent in terms of travelers’ profile and travel behaviour patterns with Wang’s (2006)
research based on a general questionnaire survey of residents of five major cities in China.
With respect to the profile of the respondents, Wang (2006) summarized that traveling to
Tibet requires a long time and involves high expenses; moreover, the unique cultural and
natural features of Tibet may be more attractive to experienced tourists with a higher
education level. In addition, good physical health is required by the high altitude
geographical location of Tibet. Therefore, tourists to Tibet are generally people with a high
education level, high income, high consumption level and comparatively good health (Wang,
2006). Similarities were identified in Chapter four between the sample drawn in this study
and the sample from the five-city survey in Wang’s research (2006). Findings of this study
indicated that train travelers to Tibet are from diverse age groups and employment categories,
with perhaps slightly more males than females. Generally high education levels and higher
than average monthly incomes were also identified as consistent with Wang’s research
findings (2006).
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Based on the location of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, Wang (2006) also predicted that people
from the northwest, northeast and central northern provinces of China would benefit more
from the train service. The results of this study show that the majority of train travelers are
Chinese with 80 percent of respondents from northern China. Among them, travelers from
Beijing and Tianjin; northwest provinces, central northern provinces and northeast provinces
constitute important percentages. However, the small number of travelers from south China
identified in this sample may be because the train route surveyed was from Beijing to Lhasa,
which is not the priority choice for people from the south who are more likely to take the
train to Lhasa from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu or Chongqing.
In addition, travelers’ travel behavior patterns were examined and compared with Wang’s
research (2006) based on the data drawn from the five-city survey conducted in 2003. In this
study, the predominant majority of respondents were traveling to Tibet for the first time,
which shows that Tibet is still a new tourism destination to most travelers. This finding is
supported by Wang’s study showing that very few people in China have been to Tibet, but
the majority of them wish to go, which indicates the large potential market for Tibet tourism
(Wang, 2006). Moreover, the mean length of stay in the overall sample in this study is 6.4
days, which is 1.4 days shorter than the 7.8 days identified in Wang’s research (2006) based
on the five-city survey in 2003. One possible reason might be the increased accessibility
brought by the train service actually shortens the time spent in Tibet.
In terms of the trip expenses, 35 percent of respondents in this study reported their trip
expenses between RMB3,500 and 5,000. The average total trip expenses to Tibet of RMB
4,231 as pointed out in Wang’s research (2006) actually falls into this most common expense
category identified in this study. Furthermore, as examined in Chapter four, the distribution
of trip expenses in this study is similar to the data drawn from Wang’s (2006) research. It can
be concluded that the total trip expenses to Tibet before and after the opening of the QinghaiTibet railway have a similar distribution pattern. Although there are not many changes in the
amount of the overall trip expenses in the two surveys, if considering the economic growth in
China represented by the annual GDP growth exceeding 9 percent from 2004 to 2006, and
- 81 -
the increase of affordability of Chinese people between 2003 and 2007, the actual travel
expenses to Tibet could be considered as being reduced.
In general, similarities are identified in terms of the travelers’ profile and their behaviour
pattern between the five-city survey in 2003 and this study conducted in 2007, which
indicates the consistency in the profile and behaviour of Tibet travelers throughout recent
years.
5.2.2 Application of the Destination Choice Framework
Based on previous literature as cited in Chapter two, the destination choice framework was
developed and applied in this study. At the survey and questionnaire design stage, the
structure and contents of the questionnaire were designed with the guidance of the
destination choice framework. In addition, factors influencing travelers’ destination choice in
the framework were incorporated into the questions and answer choices provided in the
questionnaire survey, including travelers’ demographic and socio-economic characteristics,
travel motivation with pull and push factors, travel experience, familiarity with the
destination, and expectations and satisfactions with the destination. Especially, the pre- and
post-visit en-route survey design facilitated the data collection of travelers’ expectations and
satisfactions with the destination for further comparison and analysis.
The destination choice framework also guided the data analysis process in this study, in
terms of evaluating the individual contribution of each influencing factor in the travel
decision making process, comparing the importance of each factor and analyzing the interrelations between different influencing factors in the case of Tibet tourism. Based on the
analysis, deeper understanding of travelers’ destination choice of Tibet was achieved and
practical implications for tourism marketing and operation were generated.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the destination choice framework that was developed
based on previous literature is a useful tool in evaluating traveler’s destination selection
process, and could be applied in other cases and provide guidance in future tourism
development.
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5.2.3 Relative Importance of the Train Journey to the Destination
As reviewed in Chapter two, transport is one of the three functional components of
tourism, and it forms an integral part of the overall travel experience. Although there are
special cases such as cruise or scenic train journeys where the journey itself is the major
travel experience, transport is generally considered as a passive element and not
comparable with the destination attributes within the overall travel experience. Therefore,
limited research has been concentrated on the importance of the transportation experience
in tourism, especially in comparison with the destination experience.
Using the pre- and post-visit questionnaire survey design, questions and statements
concerning the importance of the train journey and comparison of the train journey and
the destination experience were asked from different perspective in this study. The
relative importance of the Qinghai-Tibet train journey in comparison with the destination
experience in Tibet was quantitatively analyzed from travelers’ perspectives.
The results of this study show that general satisfaction with the train journey is high. The
train journey was considered to be an important part of the overall travel experience by
the majority of respondents. More than half of respondents agree that if there was no train,
they would not visit Tibet. These findings consistently illustrate the great importance of
the train to Tibet tourism. When comparing the train journey with the destination
experience in Tibet, about half respondents agree that the train journey is equally
important as the destination experience in Tibet. However, 85 percent respondents
considered the destination experience to be the best part in the trip.
In addition, it is found that the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway also boosted the air
transportation to Tibet. Therefore it could be inferred that the provision of the train
service to Tibet increased the demand of traveling to Tibet, which benefited both the train
and air transportation and increased the actual number of travelers to Tibet.
It should be noted that the questionnaire survey was distributed only to passengers on the
train. By making the trip, the respondents had already overcome the barriers of traveling
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to Tibet. And by choosing the train as their means of transportation to or from Tibet, they
already indicated their preference for train travel over other modes of transportation.
Therefore it is not possible to apply the results, especially particular statistics, to the
broad market for travel to Tibet, although it is likely that the broader conclusions hold.
In summary, it can be concluded that when traveling to Tibet, the Qinghai-Tibet train,
with its better facilities than other trains in China and a route designed for tourism, is
without doubt an important part in the overall travel experience. Nonetheless, the quality
of the destination, as the objective of the journey, is still vital to the success of the train
journey in terms of its tourism use.
After the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, tourism in Tibet experienced a marked
increase and it is likely to continue to increase, for good or ill. In order to understand
tourism issues and to achieve sustainable development in the region, it is necessary to
study the impacts of tourism on Tibet from economic, social, cultural and environmental
perspectives. Thus, the positive impacts could be identified and encouraged; and negative
impacts could be controlled and managed. It is important to strive to preserve the natural
environment, local culture, tradition and religion. Also it will be necessary to understand,
balance and manage the impacts to different stakeholders at the destination. This study
examined Tibet tourism only from train travelers’ perspectives. Nevertheless, both the
practical and academic implications that have been discussed in this Chapter deepen the
understanding of current tourism development and tourism impacts in Tibet.
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6. Conclusion:
This chapter reviews the purpose of the research and summarizes the major findings of the
study. Contributions of the study are then discussed and opportunities for future research
revealed by this study are also presented.
6.1 Purpose of the Research
Possessing among the most distinguished natural and cultural tourism resources, Tibet is
undoubtedly a desirable travel destination to people from all over the world. A significant
increase in tourism to Tibet occurred after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in
July 2006, because of the increased accessibility and affordability gained through the
train services provided from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing to
Lhasa.
This study identified and evaluated the impacts of the increased accessibility achieved by the
Qinghai-Tibet railway on tourists’ travel decisions to visit and experience of Tibet, and the
importance of the railway in the overall travel experience. The research focused on train
travelers to Tibet on the train between Beijing and Lhasa. A self-administered questionnaire
on the train between Beijing and Lhasa and researcher’s observation both on the train and at
the destination were chosen as the major primary data collection methods in this study.
6.2 Major Findings
Major findings of the research are listed by briefly answering the five research questions
proposed in Chapter one.
First, the major destination influencing factors of Tibet tourism were identified, and the
importance of those factors in terms of their influence on tourists’ destination choice of
Tibet were also evaluated. No difference was identified in travel motivations to Tibet
among travelers from different demographic and socio-economic backgrounds, such as
education, monthly income, gender, age and origin. Therefore, it can be inferred that
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travelers to Tibet from different demographic and socio-economic backgrounds were
generally motivated in a similar way in making the travel decision to Tibet.
Furthermore, the results in Chapter four show that among the pull factors, natural scenery
and culture in Tibet were identified as the most important reasons for travelers to visit
Tibet. Mysteriousness and the novelty of Tibet were highly rated as important reasons for
visiting, indicating that Tibet is still a new tourism destination. Another important factor
is the opening of the railway line, which increased the accessibility and the affordability
of traveling to Tibet, and is also an attraction in its own right. In contrast, motivations
categorized as push factors, such as “Away from daily routine”, “Learning experience”
and “Personal satisfaction / self-esteem” were perceived as being significantly less
important than the other five motivations categorized as pull factors. The might be
partially due to the fact that the respondents of the questionnaire survey had already
overcome the socio-psychological barriers and made the trip to Tibet. However, the
important motivational effects of pull factors in Tibet tourism could also have practical
implications for tourism marketing of Tibet as a destination.
Second, the influence of the opening of the railway line to Lhasa on tourists’ destination
choice of Tibet was discussed in the study. As shown in Chapter four, about half of the
respondents agree that if there were no train, they would not have come to Tibet. It infers
the availability of the train service to Tibet was an influential factor in making their travel
decision to visit Tibet. As stated in Report on Tibet Tourism Development (CNTA,
2006.6.21), with the provision of the train service, the number of potential travelers with
the economic capability of traveling to Tibet would increase to millions. Furthermore, the
opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in July 2006 also boosted air transportation to Tibet
with continuous increase in total number of travelers to Tibet achieved afterwards.
Third, the relative importance of the train journey to the destination in the tourist travel
experience of Tibet was explored in this study. In order to understand the importance of
the train journey in the overall travel experience of Tibet, reasons for choosing the train
journey, the satisfaction with the train journey and the level of agreement on the
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importance of the train journey were included in the questionnaire survey. As discussed
in Chapter four, the results show that the view along the railway was perceived as the
most important attraction of the train journey, followed by the fact that going by train
could help travelers better adapt to the high altitude and reduce the physical discomfort of
altitude sickness in Tibet. Furthermore, the majority of respondents agreed that the train
journey was an important part of the overall travel experience and were generally
satisfied with the train journey. Although half of the respondents who participated in the
post-visit questionnaire survey agree that the train journey was equally important as the
destination experience in Tibet, 85 percent of respondents considered the destination
experience as the best part. Therefore, it can be concluded that although the importance
of the train journey to Tibet tourism is perceived as high, nonetheless, the destination of
Tibet is still the vital determinant for the success of the train journey.
Fourth, the expectations and satisfactions of train travelers to Tibet were analyzed and
compared. The results show that travelers to Tibet have high expectations regarding the
natural and cultural attractions of Tibet, and the high expectation were actually met by
the destination with its unique natural and cultural attractions, which proves the high
quality of the basic tourism resources in Tibet. For destination attributes such as
accommodation, food, activities and expenses, with their prior trip information on the
destination, travelers reserved their expectation around the average level. In response, the
satisfaction level of the post-visit sample was also around the average level, indicating
room for further improvements in these areas at the destination.
Finally, practical implications and suggestions for improving the train journey experience
to Tibet, the destination experience in Tibet, and tourism destination marketing of Tibet
were discussed based on the findings of this study.
6.2 Contribution of the study
Undoubtedly, the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway has had a great impact on the
economic development of Tibet, especially from the tourism perspective. However, most of
the literature measuring the importance and impacts of the railway has been undertaken from
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a macro-perspective with a focus on the number of visitors and revenue generated. Limited
research focuses on actual travelers’ perceptions of Tibet tourism and no other research so far
focuses on the train journey to Tibet in terms of its relative importance in comparison with
the destination from actual travelers’ perspective. That is the focus of this study and why it
was designed and conducted. In addition, the survey design facilitated the data collection
from both pre- and post-visit traveler groups, which was critical in comparing the similarities
and differences between the two groups. Based on the comparison, the influences of the
destination experience on travelers’ perceptions of the trip were also identified.
Through the self-administered questionnaire survey on the train, train travelers’ motivations
for visiting Tibet and choosing the train journey were evaluated, their expectations and
satisfactions with the destination were compared, and their perceptions of the importance of
the train journey were ascertained. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the primary
data collected from actual train travelers to Tibet provides useful information to understand
who the travelers are, their travel behaviour and their needs and requirements when traveling
to and in Tibet. Suggestions for improving the train journey experience and the destination
experience, and Tibet tourism management and marketing were discussed based on the
findings of the analysis.
Furthermore, a destination choice framework was proposed based on previous literature and
was presented in Chapter two. Being applied in this case study of Tibet tourism, the
framework proved to be a useful tool in understanding travelers’ destination choice, which
could also be used in tourism studies elsewhere.
6.3 Future research opportunities
Based on this study, several possible future research opportunities are identified from
various perspectives to further understand Tibet tourism development and provide more
valid and practical inputs in the future planning, development and management of Tibet
tourism.
- 88 -
First, as this study focused on train travelers to Tibet, excluding opinions of people
traveling via other transportation, future research could be conducted on travelers to Tibet
via other means of transportation, especially via air, in order to get a more conceptual
view of traveler’s perceptions and opinions on Tibet tourism.
Second, this study was developed based on a one-time questionnaire survey of 187
respondents in total, which was restricted by the travel time and train route selected for
the study. Therefore, more questionnaire surveys could be conducted at different times of
the year during the peak and non-peak seasons and on different train routes to Lhasa, if
time and funds permit, which could minimize the bias of a single survey and facilitate
comparisons between peak and non-peak seasons, and people from different geographical
origins taking different train routes. Thus more conceptual results could be achieved and
practical suggestions on Tibet tourism development could be derived with more
confidence.
Third, the possibility of accessing the general Chinese population for their views on Tibet
tourism and the train journey could be explored in order to be compared with those who
committed their time and money to travel to Tibet and were surveyed in this study. This
could provide broader implications for Tibet tourism marketing.
Fourth, focused on the train journey, this study just scratched the surface of tourism at the
destination. Therefore, more detailed on-site study of Tibet as a tourism destination could
be conducted in order to better understand issues concerning the destination management
and operation in Tibet and provide more information to guide future tourism development.
Moreover, comparisons of the Qinghai-Tibet railway with other great train journeys, such
as the Canadian Rocky Mountaineer and the Trans-Siberia as mentioned in Chapter two,
could be conducted to understand the similarities and differences between them. Lessons
learned from other great train journeys in the international market could also provide
guidance and experience for the further development and management of the QinghaiTibet railway in the long run.
- 89 -
In conclusion, tourism in Tibet has increased with the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet
Railway and will likely continue to increase. Therefore, it is necessary to study the
impacts of tourism on Tibet from economic, social, cultural and natural perspectives. The
positive impacts could be encouraged and negative impacts could be managed. By so
doing, the preservation of the natural environment, local culture, tradition and religion
could be achieved, and impacts to different stakeholders could be balanced.
This study is novel as the first one to look at the newly-opened train journey to Tibet by
examining train travelers’ perceptions on both the train journey and Tibet. Although it is
widely recognized that both the journey and the destination are important components in
tourism, very few studies have explored the relative importance of the journey in comparison
with the destination. Therefore, this study provides a new perspective on the relationship
between tourism and transport, which generates practical implications for tourism
development in Tibet, involving both the destination and transportation.
- 90 -
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Appendix I: Cover letter
Dear Sir or Madam,
I would like to seek your help filling up the questionnaire concerning your travel experience.
This questionnaire is designed for my master thesis research, named Impacts of Qinghai-Tibet
Railway on Tourist Travel Decision and Experience of Tibet. This study intends to identify and
evaluate the impacts of the increased accessibility achieved by the Qinghai-Tibet railway on tourist
travel decision and experience of Tibet. The relative importance of the train journey itself to the
destination experience in Tibet will also be discussed. The findings could be used to improve the
understanding of both the supply and demand sides of the tourism industries in Tibet and provide
practical implications for future tourism planning, marketing and management. It would also help
enhance tourist travel experience in Tibet in the long run.
The project has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, the Office of Research
Ethics. In the event you have any comments or concerns resulting from your participation in this
study, please contact Dr. Susan Sykes at 519-888-4567, Ext. 6005.
Your participation is highly appreciated!
Best Regards,
Ming Ming Su
Master Student
Tourism Policy and Planning
Faculty of Environmental Studies
University of Waterloo
Ontario
- 96 -
Appendix II: Feedback Letter
Dear Sir or Madam,
Here I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your time and efforts in participating in the
questionnaire survey.
This questionnaire is designed for my master thesis research, named Impacts of Qinghai-Tibet
Railway on Tourist Travel Decision and Experience of Tibet. This study intends to identify and
evaluate the impacts of the increased accessibility achieved by the Qinghai-Tibet railway on tourist
travel decision and experience of Tibet. The relative importance of the train journey itself to the
destination experience in Tibet will also be discussed. The findings could be used to improve the
understanding of both the supply and demand sides of the tourism industries in Tibet and provide
practical implications for future tourism planning, marketing and management. It would also help
enhance tourist travel experience in Tibet in the long run.
The project has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, the Office of Research
Ethics. In the event you have any comments or concerns resulting from your participation in this
study, please contact Dr. Susan Sykes at 519-888-4567, Ext. 6005.
In addition, a summary of the findings will be available by the end of 2007. If you wish to receive a
copy of the findings, please leave your contact information below and I will forward a copy to you
when it is available.
Many thanks for your participation!
Best Regards,
Ming Ming Su
Master Student
Tourism Policy and Planning
Faculty of Environmental Studies
University of Waterloo
Ontario, Canada
Contact Information of participant (if a copy of the findings is required):
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Appendix III: Questionnaire Survey (to Tibet)
Trip Information:
1, Is it your first visit to Tibet? □ Yes
□ No
If no, then how many times (including this one) _______ and by □ Air □ Train □ Bus
2, Purpose of the Trip: □ Business □ Personal □ Visiting Friends/Relatives
If personal, then: □ Travel arranged by yourself □ Join package tour
3, Proposed length of stay in Tibet (excluding travel): ______nights
4, How are you going back? □ by Train □ by Air □ by Bus □ Others __________________
and why _____________________________
5, Where did you go on your last trip? ____________________
How did you get there? by □ Air □ Train □ Bus □ Others __________________
How long ago? __________________
Travel Experience:
1, In your opinion, how important are the following reasons for your travel to Tibet:
Very
Unimportant Neutral Important
unimportant
Tibetan culture
___
___
___
___
Natural scenery
___
___
___
___
Opening of the railway line
___
___
___
___
Novelty of Tibet
___
___
___
___
Mysteriousness of Tibet
___
___
___
___
Away from daily routine
___
___
___
___
Learning experience
___
___
___
___
Personal satisfaction/self-esteem
___
___
___
___
Others_______________
___
___
___
___
2, What do you think are the barriers of traveling to Tibet:
Strongly
Disagree
disagree
Distance
___
___
Time
___
___
Harsh natural environment
___
___
Accessibility / Transportation
___
___
Traveling cost
___
___
Health concern
___
___
Others______________
___
___
Neither agree
nor disagree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
3, What are your expectations of Tibet as a tourism destination:
Very Low
Low
Average
Nature
___
___
___
Culture
___
___
___
Accommodation
___
___
___
Food
___
___
___
Activities
___
___
___
Expenses
___
___
___
Others______________
___
___
___
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Agree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
High
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Very
important
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Strongly
agree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Very High
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
4, In your opinion, how important are the following reasons for your travel to Tibet by TRAIN:
Very
Unimportant
Neutral
Important
Very
unimportant
important
Novelty
___
___
___
___
___
View along the train journey
___
___
___
___
___
Lower Price
___
___
___
___
___
Higher Safety
___
___
___
___
___
Relaxation
___
___
___
___
___
Others_________________
___
___
___
___
___
5, What do you think of the TRAIN journey experience:
Very Poor
Poor
Average
Duration
___
___
___
Schedule
___
___
___
Service
___
___
___
Facilities
___
___
___
View
___
___
___
Cost
___
___
___
Good
___
___
___
___
___
___
Very Good
___
___
___
___
___
___
6, How do you agree with the following statements about the importance of the TRAIN journey:
Strongly Disagree Neither agree Agree
disagree
nor disagree
The train journey is comfortable.
___
___
___
___
I do not feel bored during the train journey
___
___
___
___
I am satisfied with the train journey in general.
___
___
___
___
I prefer train over air as the mode of
transportation to Tibet.
___
___
___
___
I prefer train over bus as the mode of
transportation to Tibet.
___
___
___
___
The train journey is an important part of my travel
experience to Tibet.
___
___
___
___
If there were no train, I would not visit Tibet.
___
___
___
___
Strongly
agree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
7, Your expected total trip expenses per person: □ less than 3,500 □ 3,500 - 4,999 □ 5,000- 6,500 □ over 6,500
8, Please advise where did you obtain the information for traveling to Tibet (please check all applicable):
__ Friends or relatives
__ Newspapers or magazines
__ TV
__ Travel agency
__ Others, please specify ___________________________
Demographic Information:
1, Age:
□ 18- 24 □ 25- 34 □35- 44 □45- 54 □ 55- 64 □ 65 and above
2, Gender: □ Male
□ Female
3, Your Place of Origin (Nation / Province): ___________________
4, Monthly Income (CNY): □ less than 1,500 □ 1,500 - 2,999 □ 3,000- 4,499
□ 4,500 - 6,000
□ higher than 6,000
5, Education: □ up to Primary level
□ up to Junior High School □ up to Senior High School
□ up to University/College
□ Master Degree or above
6, Occupation: □ Student
□ Teacher
□ Company employee □ Government employee
□ Retired
□ Others, please specify_____________________________
Thank you very much for your help!
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Appendix IV: Questionnaire Survey (back from Tibet)
Trip Information:
1, Is it your first visit to Tibet? □ Yes
□ No
If no, then how many times (including this one) _______ and by □ Air □ Train □ Bus
2, Purpose of the Trip: □ Business □ Personal □ Visiting Friends/Relatives
If personal, then: □ Travel arranged by yourself □ Join package tour
3, Length of stay in Tibet (excluding travel): ______nights
4, How did you go to Tibet? □ by Train □ by Air □ by Bus □ Others __________________
and why _____________________________
5, Where did you go on your last trip? ____________________
How did you get there? by □ Air □ Train □ Bus □ Others __________________
How long ago? __________________
6, Will you visit Tibet again? □ Yes
□ No
Travel Experience:
1, your opinion, how important are the following reasons for your travel to Tibet:
Very
Unimportant Neutral Important
unimportant
Tibetan culture
___
___
___
___
Natural scenery
___
___
___
___
Opening of the railway line
___
___
___
___
Novelty of Tibet
___
___
___
___
Mysteriousness of Tibet
___
___
___
___
Away from daily routine
___
___
___
___
Learning experience
___
___
___
___
Personal satisfaction/self-esteem
___
___
___
___
Others______________
___
___
___
___
2, What do you think are the barriers of traveling to Tibet:
Strongly
Disagree
disagree
Distance
___
___
Time
___
___
Harsh natural environment
___
___
Accessibility / Transportation
___
___
Traveling cost
___
___
Health concern
___
___
Others______________
___
___
Neither agree
nor disagree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
3, What are your satisfactions of Tibet as a tourism destination:
Very Poor
Poor
Average
Nature
___
___
___
Culture
___
___
___
Accommodation
___
___
___
Food
___
___
___
Activities
___
___
___
Expenses
___
___
___
Others______________
___
___
___
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Agree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Good
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Very
important
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Strongly
agree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Very Good
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
4, In your opinion, how important are the following reasons for your travel to Tibet by TRAIN:
Very
Unimportant
Neutral
Important
Very
unimportant
important
Novelty
___
___
___
___
___
View along the train journey
___
___
___
___
___
Lower Price
___
___
___
___
___
Higher Safety
___
___
___
___
___
Relaxation
___
___
___
___
___
Others_________________
___
___
___
___
___
5, What do you think of the TRAIN journey experience:
Very Poor
Poor
Average
Duration
___
___
___
Schedule
___
___
___
Service
___
___
___
Facilities
___
___
___
View
___
___
___
Cost
___
___
___
Good
___
___
___
___
___
___
Very Good
___
___
___
___
___
___
6, How do you agree with the following statements about the importance of the TRAIN journey:
Strongly Disagree Neither agree Agree
disagree
nor disagree
The train journey is comfortable.
___
___
___
___
I do not feel bored during the train journey.
___
___
___
___
I am satisfied with the train journey in general.
___
___
___
___
I prefer train over air as the mode of
transportation to Tibet.
___
___
___
___
I prefer train over bus as the mode of
transportation to Tibet.
___
___
___
___
The train journey is an important part of my travel
experience to Tibet.
___
___
___
___
The train journey experience is equally important
as the destination experience in Tibet.
___
___
___
___
If there were no train, I would not visit Tibet.
___
___
___
___
7, Your total trip expenses per person: □ less than 3,500 □ 3,500 - 4,999 □ 5,000- 6,500 □ over 6,500
8, Which one is the best part of your trip? □ Train journey
□ Staying in Tibet
9, Please advise where did you obtain the information for traveling to Tibet (please check all applicable):
__ Friends or relatives
__ Newspapers or magazines
__ TV
__ Travel agency
__ Others, please specify ___________________________
Demographic Information:
1, Age:
□ 18- 24 □ 25- 34 □ 35- 44 □ 45- 54 □ 55- 64 □ 65 and above
2, Gender: □ Male
□ Female
3, Your Place of Origin (Nation / Province): ___________________
4, Monthly Income (CNY): □ less than 1,500 □ 1,500 - 2,999
□ 3,000- 4,499
□ 4,500 - 6,000
□ higher than 6,000
5, Education: □ up to Primary level
□ up to Junior High School □ up to Senior High School
□ up to University/College
□ Master Degree or above
6, Occupation: □ Student
□ Teacher
□ Company employee □ Government employee
□ Retired
□ Others, please specify_____________________________
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Strongly
agree
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Recommendations: Please give some recommendations on the improvements of:
1, The train journey to Tibet: _____________________________________________________
2, Tourism development of Tibet: _________________________________________________
3, Tibet tourism products: ________________________________________________________
4, Anything else you would like to say about your trip?
______________________________________________________________________________
Thank you very much for your help!
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